Georgian parliament votes to hold presidential election on Dec. 14

ISTANBUL

The Georgian parliament on Tuesday voted to hold the country’s upcoming presidential election on Dec. 14.

During a live session in the capital Tbilisi, the issue of holding the country’s presidential election was presented by Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, after which 80 lawmakers voted for holding the election on Dec. 14.

In his address to the parliament, Papuashvili said the inauguration of the new elected president will be held on Dec. 29.

For the first time, Georgia’s president will be elected by a 300-member college of electors, which will be approved by the country’s Central Election Commission, rather than through a direct vote.

The session took place a day after Georgia’s parliament approved the mandate of its newly elected lawmakers in its first session since last month’s parliamentary election, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party won an 89-seat majority in the 150-seat parliament after receiving 53.93% of the vote.

It also took place as protests continued in the capital Tbilisi since late Sunday over the Oct. 26 election results, which were rejected by incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties.

Zourabichvili said she did not recognize the results, alleging that the election was marred by Russian interference, while the opposition parties called the election “stolen.”

Zourabichvili was elected as Georgia's sixth president in 2018.