CEC rejects opposition bid to annul parliamentary seats in Georgia
Georgia opposition seats annulment request denied
The head of the Central Election Administration’s legal department, Giorgi Santuriani, stated that granting the appeal from opposition coalitions is legally impossible.
The “Unity – National Movement” coalition and the “For Change” coalition appealed to the CEC to annul their parliamentary candidate lists, as they refuse to join the 11th convocation of the parliament.
Nika Gvaramia, a leader from the “For Change” coalition, argued that the parliament elected on October 26 is illegitimate, making participation “an act of complicity in illegitimate actions” for the coalition.
In response, Santuriani clarified that such a procedure is not provided for by law.
“Current legislation does not allow the cancellation of candidates registered on party lists until the newly elected deputies are notified of their powers. This applies both to appeals from parties and to individual requests. The Election Code offers no other regulation,” Santuriani explained.
What does legislation entail?
According to the law, the CEC is required to submit the list of elected deputies to parliament, after which over half of parliament members must approve their credentials.
The new parliament officially assumes power once two-thirds of its members recognize it, ending the previous parliament’s mandate. Additionally, only a simple majority—76 votes—is needed to confirm the deputies’ credentials.
Since the CEC does not intend to meet the opposition’s demands, the matter will move to parliament. “Georgian Dream,” which currently holds 89 seats, can confirm the authority of all elected deputies, including those from opposition parties.
Once this happens, opposition deputies can then approach parliament to request the termination of their credentials. Additionally, the political parties will need to apply to the CEC to annul their electoral lists to prevent deputies who have renounced their mandates from being replaced by successors.
Georgia opposition seats annulment request denied
