Students at Telavi University Request to Postpone Date of Self-Governance Elections at the University

Mikheil Mamalashvili, Kakheti 

Part of students at the Telavi Iakob Gogebashvili State University request to change the election date of the student self-governance. They said interim president of the self-governance fixed March 28 as an election day individually and candidates did not have enough time to start pre-election campaign.

Tamar Lamazoshvili, student of the faculty for social sciences, said the election date was set against the interests of one presidential candidate Nino Babunidze; she will be out of Georgia on March 28. “Interim president of the student self-governance at the University Zura Grishashvili individually set the election day. The presidential candidates do not have enough time to conduct pre-election campaign and present their action plan to students. 80% of students do not have information about elections. We think, Grishashvili made purposeful decision against the interests of one of the candidates Nino Babunidze, who will not be in Georgia on March 28. We request to postpone the election day and hold it on April 15,” Tamar Lamazoshvili said.

She added that election commission was staffed with the supporters of the former interim president and election protocols were faked.

Zura Grishashvili said the accusations about the Election Day were not true. He added the election day was scheduled according to the self-governance statute and the date cannot be changed. “All their accusations against me are false. I did not have information that one of the candidates would not be in Georgia on March 28.  We acted in accordance to the statute and the date will not be changed. As for protocols, every document is there and if somebody has doubts, they can appeal to the court,” Zura Grishashvili said.

In September 2013, Giorgi Korbezashvili quitted position of the self-governance president at the Telavi University because of new job and vice-president Zura Grishashvili replaced him as an interim president. He occupied the position until March 20, 2014.