Jaba Samushia Elected as Rector of TSU
The Academic Council of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) elected on December 27 Jaba Samushia as the Rector of TSU for a term of four years.
30 members of the Academic Council voted for Jaba Samushia, who previously served as the Acting Rector; two ballot papers were annulled. Samushia was the only candidate running in the elections.
The registration of candidates started at 10:00 on December 16 and ended at 18:00 on December 21.
The elections were preceded by student protests against “undemocratic rule” of the Rector’s elections.
Speaking with journalists after the elections, Jaba Samushia noted that he would try to make TSU an exemplary university not only in the region or Eastern Europe, but throughout the world.
Responding to the criticism about an uncontested election, Samushia said that the Academic Council decided to hold the elections on November 15 and interested persons had almost 1.5 months to apply. “I do not know why they did not do it,” he added.
Jaba Samushia was elected as Acting Rector of the University for a maximum period of six months on October 20, 2022. Noteworthy that he was the only candidate participating in the elections.
The election became necessary after the former rector, Giorgi Sharvashidze, unexpectedly resigned from his position on 7 October.
- 22/10/2022 – Jaba Samushia Elected as Acting Rector of Tbilisi State University
- 11/10/2022 – Tbilisi State University to Hold Elections for Acting Rector
Java Samushia’s background
51-year-old Samushia holds a Ph.D. in history and has been a full professor of the Humanities Faculty at TSU since 2018. In addition, from August 2020 to October 2022, he held the post of General Director of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation. Before that, in 2018-2020 he was the deputy director for the same foundation.
In 2014-2017, Samushia was a Georgian Dream member of the Tbilisi City Assembly, as well as the chairperson of the Council’s Property Management and Financial-Budgetary Commission.
Samushia was also a member of the City Assembly in 2010-2014. While he entered the representative body on the list of the Christian-Democratic party, he later left to join Georgian Dream.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
