On July 14, the party Gakharia – For Georgia and the coalition Lelo – For a Strong Georgia signed a memorandum concerning the upcoming local elections. The aim of the agreement is to "eliminate mutual competition in the elections."
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The memorandum was signed by the Executive Secretary of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s party, Berdia Sitchinava, and the Secretary General of Lelo – For a Strong Georgia, Irakli Kupradze. According to the leaders, the political groups have agreed to nominate joint mayoral and majoritarian candidates based on public consensus.
“[The agreement] entails a joint struggle and coordination in the local elections, because this is not a normal election. Therefore, we must eliminate internal competition in this election. That’s why we’ll try to agree on non-partisan, neutral mayoral candidates…
This doesn’t mean we’re normalizing any ongoing process. On the contrary, this is an additional front line to expand the protest and give it new momentum,” said Berdia Sitchinava.
According to Irakli Kupradze, their cooperation is a response to public demand for the parties to act in coordination and without competing against each other.
“We understand that Georgian Dream will attempt to falsify/steal the local elections. But someone must fight and speak on behalf of the people, about their needs and problems.
We respect the position of opposition parties who view the struggle differently – but we all agree on the main goal: to end illegitimate Russian-style rule and return the country to the people.
We call on political and civic groups, and active individuals involved in the protest – join us! This is the beginning of a major battle! Our doors are open to all political forces and civic groups!” said Kupradze.
Local elections in Georgia are scheduled to be held on October 4. Among the opposition parties participating in the elections are Gakharia – For Georgia and Lelo – For a Strong Georgia.
Without the holding of new parliamentary elections, 8 parties are boycotting the local elections:
- Ahali
- Girchi – More Freedom
- Droa
- Federalists
- United National Movement
- Strategy Aghmashenebeli
- European Georgia
- Freedom Square
According to their joint statement, they will do everything to accelerate the "end of the undemocratic, oligarchic system" through "principled, uncompromising struggle." With the same message, they have announced a protest march on July 19, together with other civil society groups.
According to the latest research by the Institute for Social Research and Analysis, Lelo – For a Strong Georgia has a national rating of 9.5%, while Gakharia – For Georgia stands at 10% (results are reported with allocation). In the capital city, their ratings are as follows: Lelo – For a Strong Georgia – 10.6%; Gakharia – For Georgia – 5.7%.
According to the same research, among pro-European opposition voters, a larger proportion (43%) favors an opposition boycott of local elections, while 26% supports conditional participation. Only 20% favor unconditional participation.
On July 9, the European Parliament adopted a resolution stating that, given the current political and legal conditions, the October 4 elections do not present an opportunity to reflect the democratic choice of the Georgian people.
