Tbilisi: Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the head of Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), was attacked with black paint by opposition politician Davit Kirtadze during a meeting on Saturday, just as Kalandarishvili was about to validate the results of last month’s parliamentary elections.
The elections have sparked weeks of protests from the opposition, who have accused the government of widespread fraud and Russian interference.
Protesters gathered outside the Central Election Commission building in Tbilisi, where officials declared that the ruling Georgian Dream party had secured 53.93 percent of the vote.
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Opposition supporters have labeled the vote as “rigged” and rejected the election results. However, the ruling Georgian Dream party has denied these accusations.
The Saturday session was interrupted when Davit Kirtadze, a member of the opposition United National Movement party, threw black paint at Kalandarishvili.
Before the incident, the opposition member told the CEC that the official election results did not accurately represent the voters’ “true choice.”
In response, Kalandarishvili remarked that the use of “pressure, bullying and personal insults” demonstrated that there was no evidence of vote rigging./
When the meeting resumed, Kalandarishvili was seen with a bandaged eye.
“It once again becomes evident that there is no tangible proof indicating that the elections were manipulated,” he said while addressing the audience.
European election observers have characterized the Georgian parliamentary elections as occurring in a “divisive” environment, citing incidents of bribery, double voting, and physical violence.
Many Georgians saw the election as a crucial referendum on the country’s aspirations to join the European Union. However, in June, the EU suspended Georgia’s membership application indefinitely after the Georgian parliament passed a “foreign influence law,” which critics argue resembles Moscow’s tactics to suppress civil society.
Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream party, founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a wealthy businessman with ties to Russia, of growing more authoritarian and pro-Moscow. The party has recently introduced laws similar to those in Russia, aimed at restricting freedom of speech and limiting LGBTQ+ rights.
President Salome Zourabichvili, who has disputed the official election results, claims that Georgia has succumbed to pressure from Moscow in its efforts to join the European Union. Although Zourabichvili holds a largely ceremonial role, she has called on the United States and the EU to back the ongoing protests.
Both Washington and Brussels have called for a thorough investigation into the election, while the Kremlin has denied any involvement in interference.
(with agency inputs)
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