- News>
- World
Georgian Parliament puts off vote on parliamentary elections
Tbilisi, Georgia, Nov 26: Ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze briefly turned up at his former office today to collect his personal belongings, as a new election campaign was getting under way to replace him.
Tbilisi, Georgia, Nov 26: Ousted President Eduard Shevardnadze briefly turned up at his former office today to collect his personal belongings, as a new election campaign was getting under way to replace him.
The Caucasus country of 4.9 million people, split
along ethnic and regional lines, faces the challenge of
mounting a fair and open ballot just weeks after an election
widely labeled as a sham. The international community gave
US$3.4 million to support the Nov 2 election in impoverished
Georgia, which will have to rely again on outside assistance
for the new vote.
``We need help at this moment _ it's a crucial time for Georgia,'' Gigi Tsereteli, acting parliament speaker, said after the parliamentary session yesterday, when legislators agreed that the presidential vote would take place on Jan 4. ``We know that it's a very short period (until the vote), but we should do our best.''
Georgia's Supreme Court yesterday annulled party-list voting in the parliamentary elections, and was expected today to also cancel the results of elections in which individual candidates faced off.
Lawmaker Yelena Tevduradze said that lawyers were already working to correct voter lists one of the main sources of contention in the parliamentary vote, preventing many from casting ballots.
``People are ready for elections,'' she said, adding that the election campaign had essentially started in the street action where thousands occupied the square in front of parliament for weeks to protest electoral fraud.
Bureau Report
``We need help at this moment _ it's a crucial time for Georgia,'' Gigi Tsereteli, acting parliament speaker, said after the parliamentary session yesterday, when legislators agreed that the presidential vote would take place on Jan 4. ``We know that it's a very short period (until the vote), but we should do our best.''
Georgia's Supreme Court yesterday annulled party-list voting in the parliamentary elections, and was expected today to also cancel the results of elections in which individual candidates faced off.
Lawmaker Yelena Tevduradze said that lawyers were already working to correct voter lists one of the main sources of contention in the parliamentary vote, preventing many from casting ballots.
``People are ready for elections,'' she said, adding that the election campaign had essentially started in the street action where thousands occupied the square in front of parliament for weeks to protest electoral fraud.
Bureau Report