Tbilisi, Dec 15 (IANS) The ruling Georgian Dream party’s candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, has been elected Georgian president, the Central Election Commission announced.
Kavelashvili received 224 votes from 300 members of an electoral college, according to the commission.
To be elected, a candidate has to win at least 200 votes.
The presidential election was held in Georgia on Saturday. This is the first time in Georgia’s history that the president is elected not by direct vote.
Earlier on Tuesday, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili proposed holding the presidential election on December 14, Xinhua news agency reported.
The inauguration of the newly elected President will take place on December 29.
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 per cent of the vote.
It also took place as protests continued in the capital Tbilisi since late week over the October 26 election results, which were rejected by incumbent President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition parties.
Zourabichvili said she did not recognise the results, alleging that the election was marred by Russian interference, while the opposition parties called the election “stolen”.
It is the first time that the Georgian President will not be elected by a direct popular vote.
The new President will be elected by a 300-member electoral college, including members of Parliament and delegates of the regions.
Zourabichvili was elected Georgian President in 2018 and her term expires on December 16.
Recently, the Georgian government has suspended negotiations over the country’s accession to the European Union and rejects any budgetary grants until the end of 2028, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced.
–IANS
int/svn
