At the first session of the 11th Convocation of Parliament, held under a single-party regime, the authority of all 150 members was recognised, and Shalva Papuashvili was elected Chairman.
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The above-mentioned issues were supported by 88 Georgian Dream MPs. According to the press service of Parliament, Givi Chichinadze was unable to participate in the vote due to health reasons.
After their authority was recognized, the members of Parliament took an oath of allegiance to the country, following which the Georgian national anthem was played. The anthem continued to play even after Papuashvili was elected.
At today’s session, Giorgi Volski was elected First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, while Tea Tsulukiani and Nino Tsilosani were elected as deputies.
Only members of the Georgian Dream party participated in the session, including Bidzina Ivanishvili, who topped the parliamentary list of the ruling party.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and opposition representatives did not attend Parliament, as they believe the October 26 parliamentary elections were "totally rigged" and that the current composition of Parliament lacks legitimacy.
The Georgian Dream party convened for its first session amid an opposition protest. Representatives of diplomatic missions and ambassadors accredited to Georgia were not present in the session hall.
As per the Constitution, the president is responsible for calling the first session of the newly elected Parliament, but Salome Zourabichvili did not do so. She appealed the results of the parliamentary elections, and consequently, the legitimacy of the election of all 150 members, to the Constitutional Court. Some lawyers argue that, until the court’s decision, Parliament did not have the right to recognize the powers of deputies, making its decisions illegal.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia summarized the parliamentary elections on November 16. Based on the CEC protocol, Georgian Dream won 53.93% of the votes and secured 89 mandates out of 150 in the legislative body. The Coalition for Change garnered 11.03% of the vote and 19 mandates, Unity - National Movement received 10.17% and 16 mandates, Strong Georgia obtained 8.81% and 14 mandates, and the Gakharia for Georgia party received 7.78% and 12 mandates. Only Georgian Dream accepts the CEC data, while the opposition maintains that the elections were rigged.
