Archil Gorduladze to Giga Parulava at the Legal Issues Committee: "Mr. Giga, either calm yourself down, or I will ask the bailiff to remove you from the hall. Stop shouting, or I’m telling you—I really will have you thrown out!"
"Mr. Giga, either calm yourself down, or I will ask the bailiff to remove you from the hall. Stop shouting, or I’m telling you—I really will have you thrown out!" — with these words, Archil Gorduladze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Issues Committee, addressed his opposition colleague, Giga Parulava—an MP from the For Georgia faction—during a committee session.
The committee reviewed a draft of amendments to electoral legislation initiated by Georgian Dream, regarding which only Parulava raised questions. Gorduladze remarked to Parulava that he opposes everything—except for the prospect of becoming the Chairman of the Zugdidi City Council (Sakrebulo) with the support of the National Movement. In this same context, Gorduladze pointed out to his colleague that he had served as the Chairman of the Zugdidi City Council for three years with the support of the National Movement, yet he still maintains that there is no coalition with the National Movement.
Regarding the matter under discussion, Parulava addressed several planned initiatives concerning electoral legislation, placing particular emphasis on a new provision that relates to challenging the CEC’s (Central Election Commission) summary protocol in court.
"Challenging the CEC’s summary protocol will be possible only on a technical level. An interested party will not be able to challenge its substance, and in such a case, the court will not even be able to initiate proceedings," noted Giga Pharulava.
In response to Parulava, Georgian Dream MP Davit Matikashvili stated that actual disputes take place at the level of precinct commissions, and that the procedures for challenging the protocols of precinct election commissions remain unchanged. According to Matikashvili, the nature of the CEC’s summary protocol is different, and it cannot be challenged in relation to individual precincts under the current rules either.
"Legal issues are addressed when summary protocols drawn up by precinct election commissions are challenged. The system is shaped by the processes taking place at the polling stations. Under current law, it is possible to file a challenge regarding any individual polling station—meaning every single violation occurring at a station can be contested. If you lack sufficient public support, if the public is indifferent to your fate, and if you lack the popularity required to field an observer who could then file a specific complaint—well, that is perfectly understandable, but it does not point to a systemic problem!
If an interested party—within the context of a legal dispute—fails to challenge matters at the polling station stage, and the summary protocol for that station becomes legally binding, these issues cannot be revisited in subsequent stages of the process. This is how it works everywhere—throughout the entire democratic world!" stated Davit Matikashvili during a meeting of the Legal Issues Committee.
