Constitutional Court Ignores Elections Case
The Constitutional Court of Georgia has made a surprising decision. They refused to accept a case about the country’s elections.
According to Nika Gvaramia, a leader of “Coalition for Change”, this decision means that there is no institution in Georgia to check if elections are in line with the Constitution. Even theoretically, it doesn’t exist.
The court also said that they can only look at laws related to elections and not how those laws are applied. This is only within a 15-month time limit. Gvaramia believes this means that the Tbilisi Court of Appeal gets to make decisions on the country’s main constitutional process – elections.
It is unusual for an institution like this to exist if it can’t check the constitutionality of something as important as elections. Nika Gvaramia wrote, “Since the Constitutional Court openly got involved in the usurpation of power in the country, the only person who can do it is the President of Georgia.”
The court recently rejected a case brought by the President and 30 politicians about the October 26, 2024 elections. The ruling is final.
Only two judges, Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze and Teimuraz Tughushi, disagreed with this decision. Because of this, one of the other judges, Irina Imerlishvili, has faced criticism for supporting it.