Police investigating attack on UNM mayor candidate Melia in Tbilisi
Melia got involved in a verbal confrontation with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party members Beka Davituliani and Giorgi Amilakhvari near Isani polling station No. 62. Photo: Nika Melia/Facebook.
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An investigation is underway into the case of a physical assault of Nika Melia, Tbilisi mayor candidate from the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party, to find out the attacker.
Melia, who arrived at the polling station in the Vazisubani district in Tbilisi earlier today due to a power outage, was beaten in the head while being interviewed.
He claimed that ‘electricity was deliberately cut off on the spot.’
At the polling station, a verbal confrontation between the representatives of the political parties took place, during which an unidentified person physically assaulted Nikanor Melia. The fact is under investigation,” the Interior Ministry reports.
Melia got involved in a verbal confrontation with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party members Beka Davituliani and Giorgi Amilakhvari near Isani polling station No. 62.
The ruling party head Irakli Kobakhidze accused Melia of staging provocation and stated that the UNM ‘is desperate as they lose the election runoff in Tbilisi with 100,000 votes.’
Municipal election run-offs in Georgia took place today in 20 out of 64 election constituencies out of which, in 17 constituencies, the candidates of the GD and the UNM opposition were competing, while in the remaining three constituencies, the ruling party faced the For Georgia party. Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Overall, 1,830 polling stations were open in the country and 2,088,722 voters were eligible to participate in the run-offs nationwide.
A total of 1,024,406 voters (49.9% of eligible voters) have cast their ballots in the municipal run-offs, the Central Election Commission of Georgia reported.
Both Tbilisi mayoral candidates Kakha Kaladze and Nika Melia from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the United National Movement (UNM) celebrate the victory in the municipal election run-offs ahead of the official announcement of the results.
Eight cases of alleged violations and breaking of law are under investigation by the interior ministry, with one individual arrested, as clashes at or outside polling stations across Georgia have been reported on municipal runoff day.
Tbilisi mayor candidate from the United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia and the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party members Beka Davituliani and Giorgi Amilakhvari have clashed at the polling station in Vazisubani district in Tbilisi earlier today due to a power outage at the spot.
Police have detained several people amid physical confrontations at Zugdidi electoral district. Zugdidi mayoral candidate from the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Mamuka Tsotseria accused the United National Movement (UNM) activists of staging provocations.
Chairman of the United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia, who has now officially lost the Tbilisi mayoral elections to the ruling Georgian Dream’s (GD) Kakha Kaladze in yesterday's run-off elections, has called the municipal elections ‘void,’ and asked his supporters to gather near the parliament this evening to hear the united opposition’s action plan.
Georgian opposition leaders have gathered with their supporters in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi to protest the results of the October 30 run-off municipal elections. The opposition, claiming that the election results were fabricated, announced rallies in the cities of Batumi, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi, in addition to the massive demonstration in Tbilisi scheduled for November 7.