Son of ruling party majoritarian candidate detained for stabbing two in Dmanisi
David Dautashvili is the son of Mikheil Dautashvili who is the majoritarian candidate of the ruling Georgian Dream party for the upcoming October 2 municipal elections. Photo: video grab.
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Police have detained 28-year-old Davit Dautashvili for stabbing two supporters of the opposition United National Movement party in Georgia’s eastern Dmanisi municipality, reports the Interior Ministry.
Police say Datuashvili attacked supporters of the UNM party and stabbed them during a rally in the village of Gantiadi on September 21.
Both individuals with injuries to the face and head were taken to the hospital. Their life is not in danger.
David Dautashvili is the son of Mikheil Dautashvili who is the majoritarian candidate of the ruling Georgian Dream party for the upcoming October 2 municipal elections.
Mikheil Dautashvili told Imedi TV that his son has mental health problems and the opposing side was trying to provoke him.
I brought my son to the police. He must be punished for the crime he committed yesterday”, said Mikheil Dautashvili.
On September 21, later after the incident, acting Mayor of Dmanisi Giorgi Tatuashvili said that local members of the ruling Georgian Dream party attacked two opposition supporters during his election meeting in the village of Gantiadi.
Tatuashvili, who is the incumbent candidate from the united opposition, also said that the attackers were convicted of attacking opposition members during the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Member of the united opposition Kakha Okriashvili said that the attackers included majoritarian candidate of the ruling party Mikheil Dautashvili and his son David.
The ruling party members deny the accusations. They instead claim that the clash took place between supporters of the opposition United National Movement - the party, which leads the united opposition.
Chairman of Dmansi City Council Merab Okriashvili has been attacked and injured earlier today, though police have yet to identify the attackers.
Opposition United National Movement member Dimitri Shashkin has been observed walking with a gun near the polling station in the Talaveri village of Bolnisi municipality earlier today. Shashkin, who admitted carrying the gun, said he is authorised by the interior ministry to do so. However, Shaskin said, he did not enter any polling stations.
The United National Movement opposition party has dismissed allegations that its members raided the ruling Georgian Dream party office in Dmanisi, Kvemo Kartli region, yesterday and attacked local members of the Georgian Dream.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has reported that its office in Dmanisi municipality in Kvemo Kartli region was raided by the opposition representatives. GD Executive Secretary Irakli Kobakhidze told Rustavi 2 TV that this was ‘a severe provocation’.
“The United States condemns the violent, seemingly politically motivated attacks which took place yesterday in Dmanisi and Rustavi”, the US Embassy in Georgia has announced.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze and the United National Movement (UNM) party leader Nika Melia have clashed near the office of the European Union Delegation to Georgia on Chavchavadze Avenue, Tbilisi earlier today after the ruling party finished its meeting with foreign diplomats. Kobakhidze stated that the main topic of the assembly was the election environment, noting that he cannot discuss the details of the meeting.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has responded to the recent clash between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze and the United National Movement (UNM) party leader Nika Melia and has urged ‘all sides to exercise restraint’ ahead of the local self-government elections. "Next week on election day, all Georgian voters should enjoy a peaceful environment, allowing them to exercise their democratic right by casting their ballots freely, safely and without fear of violence or intimidation,” Ambassador Hartzell stated.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says opposition United National Movement (UNM) party members in regions are acting in a destructive and provocative manner. Ruling party MP Irakli Chikovani said at a news briefing earlier today that for several days now the UNM representatives have been staging provocations to ‘artificially damage the peaceful and calm election environment’ in various regions.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) has reported earlier today that the cases of pressure, abuse and threat on the district and precinct election commission members have increased ahead of municipal elections. "In some cases, there has been an attempt by observers to overstep their authority to stage a provocation,” a spokesperson of the CEC Natia Ioseliani stated.
Misuse of administrative resources during the election process and politicisation of public institutions remain key challenges in the run up to local self-government elections to be held on October 2, Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) has reported.
Police have detained Luka Bidzinashvili, son of the Gori majoritarian candidate of the United National Movement opposition party for gender-based violence.
“A total of 59 opposition candidates were intimidated during the pre-election period to make them withdraw their candidacies”, reads the report of the Public Defender of Georgia. Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria stated that 52 out of the 59 opposition candidates were representatives of the For Georgia party, six were representatives of the United National Movement and one – of the Third Force-Strategy Builder.
A total of 27 criminal cases related to the pre-election period of the October 2 municipal elections are under investigation in Georgia, the Interior Ministry has reported today.