Adjara Polls, MP By-Elections Set for November 3
Elections for the Adjaran Autonomous Republic’s local legislative body, as well as MP by-elections in two single-mandate constituencies in Tbilisi, will be held on November 3, 2008, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said on September 5.
The elections were originally planned for October 4, but the CEC postponed them for an unspecified period of time on August 9 amid the armed conflict.
By-elections are required in Tbilisi’s Didube and Vake single-mandate constituencies because the two majoritarian MPs from the districts – the New Rights Party’s Davit Saganelidze and Davit Gamkrelidze, respectively – renounced their MP mandates in protest at what they called the fraudulent May 21 parliamentary elections. A total of twelve opposition politicians renounced their MP mandates.
The elections for the Supreme Council of Adjara – the region’s legislative body – will be held on October 4, according to a decree signed by President Saakashvili.
Last week, the Adjarian legislative body passed amendments to the region’s election code laying out major electoral rules, including the reduction of seats in the Supreme Council from the current 30 to 18.
