In the center of Tbilisi, police have been mobilized, and protesters have occupied Rustaveli Avenue in front of the parliament as well as the adjacent streets. A yellow security level has been introduced in the parliament, restricting visitor access.
In front of the building where the voting will take place, a performance titled "Show Your Diploma, Kavelashvili" is underway, reports "Echo of the Caucasus". Participants remind that the sole candidate from the "Georgian Dream" party, former football player Mikhail Kavelashvili, does not have a higher education. This is precisely why he was unable to run for the position of president of the Football Federation of Georgia in 2015.
Current head of state Salome Zurabishvili has joined the protesters. Sova has published a video showing how people greeted her.
Voting began at 8:00, as reported by Sova.
Following the cancellation of universal suffrage, according to the constitution amended in 2017, the president is elected by an electoral college consisting of 300 members. Of these, 150 are current members of parliament, 21 are from the Supreme Council of Adjara, 20 members are from the Supreme Council of Abkhazia, and the remaining 109 are selected from city council members.
To elect a candidate, the college must give him 2/3 of the votes, stated the chairman of parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. If the candidate fails to achieve this, a second round will be held on the same day.
The transitional provisions of the constitution stipulated that the president elected in 2018 receives a mandate for six years. Consequently, Zurabishvili's term will expire on December 16. The inauguration of the new president of Georgia will take place on December 29.