Politics Controversial Georgian election: Parliament meets without opposition

In the South Caucasus republic of Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream party has convened alone for the first session of parliament since the election, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud.

The pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili and the pro-Western opposition did not enter the parliament building in the capital Tbilisi. They do not recognize the official election results.

The opposition had declared after the election on October 26 that they would not accept their seats. The electoral commission had awarded the Georgian Dream around 54 percent of the votes.

According to local media, the members of the ruling party present at the first session re-elected Shalva Papuashvili as speaker of parliament, as well as his deputies and committee chairmen. Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who became a billionaire in Russia, was also present at the meeting, while people demonstrated outside the building.

Since the election, people have been protesting against the official election results almost every day, especially in Tbilisi. Recently, however, fewer people have taken to the streets. On Tuesday, the police violently dispersed a protest camp.

Sharp criticism of parliament meeting

The legality of the first parliamentary session is being disputed. According to a number of lawyers in Georgia, parliament is not allowed to meet until the Constitutional Court has ruled on President Zurabishvili's complaint.

Zurabishvili also called the session on Platform X unconstitutional. As president, she had to convene the first parliamentary session. Since she refused, no one could do this on her behalf.

Georgian and international observers had found violations during the election. Georgia's EU accession process is on hold. Brussels views this election as a further step backwards for the country.

SDA