Number of Political Parties Running in 2025 Local Elections Down to 12
Twelve political parties are running in Georgia’s partly boycotted October 4 local elections, the Central Election Commission said on September 23, down two from the number initially registered. That is nearly four times fewer than the 43 parties that ran in the 2021 municipal vote.
According to the CEC’s updated data, the parties participating in the October 4 elections and their leaders (with their assigned ballot numbers in front) are:
- (3) Conservatives for Georgia — Chairperson Giorgi Kardava
- (1) Homeland, Language, Faith — Chairperson Zaur Khachidze
- (14) People’s State — Chairperson Marina Kurdadze
- (9) Strong Georgia – Lelo — Chairperson Mamuka Khazaradze
- (25) Gakharia for Georgia — Chairperson Giorgi Gakharia
- (41) Georgian Dream — Chairperson Irakli Kobakhidze
- (36) Girchi — Chairperson Iago Khvichia
- (11) Georgia — Chairperson Giorgi Liluashvili
- (8) Alliance of Patriots of Georgia — Chairperson Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi
- (12) Greens’ Party — Secretary General Giorgi Gachechiladze
- (5) Our United Georgia — Chairperson Isaki Giorgadze
- (7) Free Georgia — Chairperson Kakha Kukava
The list no longer includes Georgians’ Unity (4) and Left-Wing Alliance (10), which were successfully registered but later had their registrations revoked as the CEC cited their failure to field party lists and majoritarian candidates. Three other parties had earlier been rejected for registration: Third Road (6), Party of Georgian Unity and Development (13), and Alliance of Democrats (2).
- 11/08/2025 – 17 Parties Register for Local Elections
Nine candidates have been registered in the Tbilisi mayoral race, according to the CEC. Among them are incumbent Kakha Kaladze of Georgian Dream seeking a third term, the joint candidate of Lelo-Strong Georgia and Gakharia’s For Georgia, Irakli Kupradze, Iago Khvichia of Girchi, and Zurab Makharadze of Conservatives for Georgia. All 12 parties have presented their lists for the Tbilisi City Municipal Assembly (Sakrebulo).
In the other 63 municipalities, a total of 112 mayoral candidates are registered, CEC said, including four independents fielded by initiative groups. Notably, the major opposition alliance of Strong Georgia/Lelo and Gakharia For Georgia failed to field mayoral candidates in nearly half of the municipalities, leaving Georgian Dream candidates uncontested. On September 22, Lelo’s mayoral candidate in Bolnisi, Kvemo Kartli region, withdrew in favor of the ruling Georgian Dream nominee after what the party’s Secretary General Irakli Kupradze claimed was an alleged bribery offer followed by “grave pressure or blackmail attempt” from GD.
According to the CEC, in majoritarian districts, there are 2,228 candidates registered, including 160 in Tbilisi.
The October 4 vote is partly boycotted by the mainstream opposition, as nine parties in total refused to run amid ongoing protests and state repression, as well as what they say is an unfair electoral environment and a fear of lending legitimacy to the disputed GD rule.
The October 4 vote will also lack credible international and local observers, as the ODIHR said it would not be able to deploy a mission because of Georgian Dream’s last-minute invitation, while leading local monitor ISFED refused to observe, saying conditions for a free, fair, and competitive election were “largely unmet.”
Also Read:
- 10/09/2025 – CEC Hails ‘International Observers’ but Most are Obscure
- 26/08/2025 – ISFED: Election Law Changes Tilt October 4 Vote Further Toward Georgian Dream
- 17/06/2025 – Treason or Opportunity – Opposition Squabbles over Municipal Elections
This post is also available in: ქართული