The Georgian Dream party will once again nominate the incumbent mayor, Kakha Kaladze, as its candidate for Tbilisi mayor. This will be the third consecutive time Kaladze participates in municipal elections representing Georgian Dream. According to current information, Kaladze's official nomination will take place tomorrow, July 31.
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Kakha Kaladze was first elected Mayor of Tbilisi in 2017, securing 51% of the vote. He won the position again in 2021 after advancing to the second round against Nika Melia, the United National Movement candidate, and ultimately gaining 55.6% of the votes.
Georgian Dream's stated goal is to win elections in all 64 municipalities.
“With the support of the Georgian people, we will win the mayoral and city council elections in all 64 municipalities, so that development does not stop for a single day in any municipality, and to fully protect the interests of every region and every corner of Georgia," stated the Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on May 7.
It is currently unknown who the Tbilisi mayoral candidates will be from opposition parties like Gakharia for Georgia party and coalition Lelo – Strong Georgia. One of the leaders of Strong Georgia, Aleko Elisashvili, announced that this information would be revealed on July 31.
The United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi - More Freedom, Droa, Ahali, Federalists, Freedom Square, European Georgia, and Ana Dolidze - For the People do not intend to participate in the October 4 elections.
"We will not participate in legitimazing the lawlessness and injustice created by Ivanishvili's criminal regime. We only recognize free parliamentary elections," state 8 opposition parties.
According to the latest research by the Institute for Social Research and Analysis, the ratings of Georgian Dream and mainstream opposition parties in Tbilisi, based on June data, are as follows:
- Georgian Dream: 23%
- Coalition for Change: 21%
- Unity - UNM: 16.5%
- Lelo – Strong Georgia: 10.6%
- Gakharia – For Georgia: 5.7%
According to the same research, among Tbilisi residents, more people (47%) support a boycott or conditional participation (only with the stipulation of early parliamentary elections) in local elections by the opposition, compared to unconditional participation (41%).
The study also addresses voters' readiness to participate in local elections. According to the results, 40% of Tbilisi residents have a high motivation to participate in local elections, while only 34% of pro-European opposition voters do. Consequently, these two groups have the highest rates of those definitively not participating in elections (score of 0) (Tbilisi - 18%; pro-Western opposition voters - 17%).
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.
