WEB DESK: The head of Georgia’s Election Commission was doused in black paint on Saturday during a meeting where he was confirming the results of a divisive parliamentary election.
David Kirtadze, a member of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, splashed black paint on Central Election Commission chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili, resulting in an eye injury, as per videos broadcasted on local channels and social media.
Kalandarishvili had convened the meeting to confirm the victory of the ruling, pro-Russian Georgian Dream party in the October 26 parliamentary election. Opposition parties had rejected the results of the elections and alleged widespread fraud and Russian interference.
The party received 53.9 per cent of the ballot, winning 89 seats in the 150-seat Georgian parliament, according to local media. After the vote, supporters of opposition parties staged several protests in the capital Tbilisi outside the commission building as Kalandarishvili was announcing the final results.
