Tbilisi State University elects acting rector on backdrop of student protest

The academic council of Tbilisi State University, the largest university in Georgia, on Thursday elected professor Jaba Samushia as its acting rector for the next six months, with the election taking place on the backdrop of a protest by a group of students.

Thirty members of the academic council cast their votes, with 28 voting for Samushia.

The university administration said Samushia, known for his previous engagement in domestic politics, had been the only candidate in the election that was called after rector Giorgi Sharvashidze applied to the council for resignation on October 7.

A group of students of the university protested both the presence of a single candidate in the voting and the procedure itself, pointing out the academic personnel of the TSU should have elected the acting rector, instead of the council.

In its response, the university administration cited the domestic law on higher education that said votes by more than half of the members of the council were required for the election. 

Registration of candidates for the vacant position began on October 13, with only Samushia applying for the post.