Industrials to participate in Parliamentary Elections
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, September 16
Head of Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC), Tamar Zhvania, has stated a political bloc - Topadze Industrials-Our Country - would take part in the October 8 Parliamentary Elections.
Zhvania made the statement in the wake of Tbilisi City Court’s verdict on September 13, which dismissed the CEC’s reason of an apparent lack of the necessary documentation for participating in the elections, to deprive the Topadze Industrials-Our Country from participating in the elections.
“The judge defined the law broadly and claimed that the party had presented all the necessary documents. As only 24 days are left before the Elections CEC decided not to appeal the City Court verdict,” Zhvania said.
The CEC stated the bloc failed to present its party list until September 8, which was the deadline.
Zurab Tkemaladze from the Industrials’ Party admitted the block had a certain problem “in printing out” the list, but he denied any lack of documentation.
Leader of the Industrials Gogi Topadze stated that the CEC made an illegal decision and was aiming to deprive the party of taking part in the race.
The Industrials, as a separate party headed by Gogi Topadze, was one of members of the Georgian Dream coalition established prior to the 2012 Parliamentary elections with the aim of defeating the nine-year rule of the United National Movement Government.
Topadze is infamous for making pro-Russian statements and glorifying Joseph Stalin.
Meanwhile, the same court has fined the Alliance of Patriots party . as they received a donation in excess of the legal limit.
Georgia’s State Audit Agency addressed Tbilisi City Court and said the Alliance of Patriots received a donation worth $42,000 from three separate individuals (for a total donation of $126,000), when a party can receive no more than $26,000 from one physical entity annually.
The City Court met the appeal of the State Audit Agency over fining the party.
The party intends to appeal the solution.
The Alliance of Patriots is taking part in the Parliamentary Elections of Georgia for the first time.
