By-Election after Death of UNM MP to Be held in Martvili in October
MP by-election in Martvili single-mandate constituency in western Georgia should be held this October as the seat became vacant after UNM majoritarian lawmaker from this district Nauli Janashia has died aged 68.
Exact date of the election in Martvili, where over 33,000 voters are registered, should be set by the Central Election Commission no later than two months before the election day.
Meanwhile on March 18 the Parliament revoked MP credentials of UNM lawmaker Gogi Ochiauri, who decided to quit the legislative body citing health reasons. Ochiauri, 88, who was the oldest member of parliament, will be replaced by Levan Tarkhnishvili, who was chairman of the Central Election Commission in 2007-2010.
Also on March 18 Parliament approved MP credentials of UNM’s new lawmaker Eka Kherkheulidze replacing Davit Sakvarelidze, who lost his seat in the Georgian parliament after becoming deputy general prosecutor of Ukraine. Kherkheulidze was a member of the previous parliament in 2008-2012.
GD lawmaker Tamaz Avdaliani, who died in late January aged 50, was replaced last month in the Parliament by Eldar (Luka) Kurtanidze, a double world champion in freestyle wrestling.
Taking of these vacant seats by new members of parliament did not require by-elections as they replaced those MPs who were elected through party-list, proportional system and not in majoritarian, single-mandate constituencies.