Georgia's opposition parties decide to retain state funding after elections

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said that opposition parties have decided not to forgo state funding following the parliamentary elections on October 26.

“Three out of four opposition parties did not sign a waiver of state funding, with only the Coalition for Change opting to forgo it,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Georgian media.

Kobakhidze added that by not rejecting funding, the opposition parties are effectively acknowledging the results of the parliamentary elections.

On December 22, Kobakhidze threatened President Salome Zourabichvili with imprisonment if she refuses to vacate her position by December 29. 

He urged her to wait and see where she would end up — "behind bars or free." 

On December 14, Georgia held presidential election under a new system: for the first time, the head of state was not chosen by the public, but by an electoral college consisting of 300 members — lawmakers, representatives from autonomous republics, and local advisory bodies. The winner was the only candidate, Mikheil Kavelashvili, who was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

By Naila Huseynova