Tbilisi mayor slams opposition's call for early elections as “absurd”

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the Mayor of Tbilisi has strongly dismissed the opposition's demand for early parliamentary elections, calling it "nonsense" and "absurd."

In a statement to Georgian journalists, Kaladze expressed his firm stance, saying, “This is plain stupidity and absurdity, I can say this with one hundred per cent certainty," Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

He emphasized that local elections were scheduled to take place in the coming months, with the date to be set by Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili. Kaladze suggested that the opposition, if it wishes to prove its influence, should focus on participating in the upcoming local government elections and assess their results.

Kaladze also reaffirmed that the next parliamentary elections would be held as planned, in 2028, further underlining the stability of the current electoral schedule and dismissing calls for early voting.

Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26, 2024. According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the ruling party won with 54 per cent of the vote. However, the opposition and then-President Salome Zourabichvili refused to recognize the election results.

Since November 28, daily protests have been taking place across Georgia, sparked by an announcement from Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the country would unilaterally freeze the process of opening EU accession talks. The first two weeks of protests saw clashes between demonstrators and security forces, who used special measures to disperse the crowds.

However, the protests have remained peaceful for over two months now, with demonstrators blocking traffic outside the parliament on a daily basis. The main demands of the protesters are the holding of new parliamentary elections and the release of those detained during the unrest.

By Vafa Guliyeva