Georgian opposition appeals to annul seats, declares new parliament illegitimate
Georgian opposition rejects parliamentary seats
The “Unity – National Movement” and “For Change” coalitions have submitted an appeal to the Central Election Commission (CEC) requesting the annulment of their parliamentary candidate lists, as both groups refuse to participate in the newly formed 11th parliament.
A total of 82 coalition members signed the appeal to the CEC.
Nika Gvaramia, a leader in the “For Change” coalition, argued that the October 26 parliamentary elections were illegitimate, making participation in the parliament “complicity in illegitimate actions.”
“All of us on this list refuse to cooperate with a regime that falsifies elections and serves the interests of the Russian Federation on Georgian soil.
Russia is our sole enemy, here and in the world.
We believe our statement is legally valid, but we also understand that the CEC and the Georgian parliament may start making unlawful decisions – all 82 of us are prepared to sign refusals as many times as necessary.
Legally, we are all signing this statement to confirm once again that the parliament is illegitimate, and our participation is out of the question – we will not legitimize it by joining,” said Gvaramia.
Tina Bokuchava, a leader of the “Unity – National Movement,” added that the coalition does not recognize the election’s legitimacy and renounces their parliamentary mandates.
“Under Article 25 of the Georgian constitution, a party list member, including an elected individual, has the right to refuse a government position – a person can only hold office voluntarily.
This constitutional provision excludes any form of coercion into a government role – a person has the right to reject a parliamentary mandate, and we are doing so today through officially notarized letters from each of us, which will be sent to the Central Election Commission,” Bokuchava stated.
Georgian opposition rejects parliamentary seats
