Parliament Vice Speaker: “no precondition” for early Parliamentary elections in Georgia

There is “no precondition” for early Parliamentary elections in Georgia and it “makes no sense” to talk about it, Levan Ioseliani, a member of the Citizens opposition party and the Vice Speaker of the Parliament, said on Tuesday following comments by an opposition politician about imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s plans for early elections in the country. 

Ioseliani was responding to a comment by Levan Khabeishvili, a member of the United National Movement opposition party, who said Saakashvili would speak at his ongoing court trial about a plan for forcing early vote in the country for the opposition.

Ioseliani said there was “no political crisis” in Georgia and no basis for early elections, criticising political figures for making promises that would eventually fail and lead to “frustration” and loss of trust “in politics and politicians”.

“In my opinion, there will be no early elections until 2024," Ioseliani told Georgian media outlets, referring to the set date for the next planned vote in the country.

Khabeishvili, a leader of the UNM, said Saakashvili would speak about the plan on “how to call” early elections in the country during the next court hearing at Tbilisi City Court on Wednesday.

Saakashvili is on trial for illegal border crossing. The former president was arrested after his clandestine return to Georgia ahead of municipal elections in the country in October. He had been found guilty of abuse of power in two cases in absentia in 2018 and faces additional charges including illegal seizure of property, embezzlement, and illegal rally dispersal.