Republicans to Nominate Presidential Candidate in May

Levan Berdzenishvili, a lawmaker from the opposition Republican Party, has denied that his party planned to nominate him as a presidential candidate in next year?s elections.

?We plan to announce our nomination in May 2008,? he said on September 3.

Speculation about Berdzenishvili?s possible nomination was prompted by an interview with the Republican Party leader, Davit Usupashvili, published by the Georgian daily, Rezonansi, on September 3.

Usupashvili said in the interview that the Republicans were advocating for a parliamentary model, wherein the president would be a highly respected, intellectual person ?with the role of an arbiter.? Levan Berdzenishvili, he said, would be a perfect presidential candidate in such a system.

Meanwhile, Rezonansi published on September 3 a non-scientific public opinion survey. The newspaper said that 300 randomly selected respondents in Tbilisi, contacted by phone, were asked whom they were likely to vote for if a presidential election were held today.

27% of those surveyed, according to Rezonansi, would vote for none of the potential candidates. President Saakashvili, according to the survey, would receive 14.6% of the votes, followed by the ex-defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, with 10%.

Levan Berdzenishvili was third with 7.3% and Salome Zourabichvili -fourth, with 5.6%, followed by Shalva Natelashvili, the opposition Labor Party leader with 4.6%. Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of the opposition New Rights Party and Gia Maisashvili received 4.3% each. 19.6% of those surveyed said they had not yet decided, according to the newspaper.

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