Ruling party wins 89 of 150 seats in Georgia's new parliament as thousands protest, CEC head smeared with black paint
Georgian Dream officially has parliament majority
On November 16, Georgia’s Central Election Commission officially announced the results of the parliamentary elections held on October 26. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, received 53.93% of the vote and won 89 seats in the new parliament.
The announcement was met with a mass protest outside the CEC building. Protesters claim the elections were rigged, citing thousands of violations, voter intimidation, and pressure, and they refuse to recognize the parliament’s legitimacy.
According to the CEC, 3,508,294 voters participated in the parliamentary elections.
“The election period is over,” announced Giorgi Kalandarishvili, head of the Central Election Commission.
As of today, the countdown has begun for the first session of the new parliament, which is set to take place in exactly 10 days.
The composition of the new parliament, according to the Central Election Commission’s final election results:
• Georgian Dream, 1,120,053 votes (53.93%) — 89 seats
• Coalition “For Change,” 229,161 votes (11.03%) — 19 seats
• “National Movement – Unity,” 211,216 votes (10.17%) — 16 seats
• Coalition “Strong Georgia,” 182,922 votes (8.81%) — 14 seats
• “For Georgia – Giorgi Gakharia,” 161,521 votes (7.78%) — 12 seats
CEC head smeared with black paint, accused of betrayal
An incident occurred during the CEC meeting. David Kirtadze, an opposition commission member, threw black paint in the face of Commission Head Giorgi Kalandarishvili after being denied the opportunity to speak and asked to leave the room.
“You don’t listen to the people. You’ve stolen Georgia’s future, you’re pushing the country toward Russia. You don’t even deserve to be called a traitor; you’re just ‘dot ru,’ you’re a stain,” Kirtadze said, addressing Kalandarishvili.
The incident followed a statement from the head of the CEC, who claimed that Kirtadze was speaking off-topic and had violated the rules by two minutes.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has opened a criminal case against David Kirtadze under Article 118 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to the intentional infliction of less serious bodily harm.
The meeting was interrupted. After the head of the Central Election Commission washed his face, he resumed the session wearing an eye patch.
On the morning of November 16, thousands of protesters gathered in front of the Central Election Commission building. After the results were announced, they marched through the city and attempted to block roads several times.
Clashes with the police ensued, and three people were arrested, including Giorgi Liponava, one of the founders and the director of the popular independent TV channel Formula.
The specific charges against them are not yet known.
David Kirtadze: “His face bears the ink with which he stained our country”
After the meeting, David Kirtadze gave an interview to the Pirveli television channel.
“This is the same black paint that Giorgi Kalandarishvili brought into the country for the elections he organized. It’s the very same stain that was visible on the reverse side of the ballots, which violated the secrecy of the vote.
“I’m so sorry that our country had the chance to hold honest, transparent elections that could have allowed us to join the larger European family. But he chose Russia. He (the head of the Central Election Commission) carried out the authorities’ orders and notarized the votes they stole.
“This black stain will mark him for the rest of his life,” Kirtadze said.
After the parliamentary elections on October 26, Georgia found itself facing a new, entirely different reality.
The ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed a commanding victory, securing nearly 54 percent of the vote — 12 percentage points higher than exit polls had predicted. Neither local observers nor the international community believe these results.
Thousands of violations and systematic frauds identified by monitors and experts have raised serious doubts about the legitimacy of the election outcomes, both within Georgia and beyond its borders.
The international community has refused to recognize the election results, questioning their legitimacy. The only European leader to acknowledge the elections has been Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
According to the European Union’s ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, due to the government’s current course, EU leaders have suspended the country’s accession process. The U.S. has also issued sharp criticisms of the elections.
Georgian Dream officially has parliament majority
