Republicans Nominate Some Majoritarian MP Candidates
Opposition Republican Party nominated on April 5 ten of its majoritarian MP candidates who will run in some of the single-mandates constituencies in capital city and in some provincial districts.
Davit Usupashvili, the leader of Republican Party, said that his party would nominate in the Vake constituency of Tbilisi MP Levan Berdzenishvili. This decision, Usupashvili said, was made after it became known that the eight-party opposition coalition leader, MP Levan Gachechiladze, was not going to run in that district. Gachechiladze, who is a majoritarian MP from Vake district, was widely expected to run in the same constituency, but the eight-party coalition confirmed on April 5, that for now he was not planning to run there. MP Gachechiladze will lead a list of MP candidates of the eight-party coalition in the elections under the proportional system.
MP Ivliane Khaindrava will run in the Tbilisi’s Mtatsminda constituency. The ruling party has nominated Archil Gegenava, chief executive of the Teliani Valley wine producing company in the same constituency.
Tina Khidasheli, one of the leaders of the party (she is wife of Davit Usupashvili), will run in the Tbilisi’ Saburtalo district. The ruling part has yet to nominate its candidate in this district.
Vakhtang Khmaladze, former lawmaker, will run in the Isani district of Tbilisi, where he will have to compete with the ruling party’s nominee, Giorgi Goguadze, the director general of People’s Bank.
MP Davit Zurabishvili will run in Didube district of Tbilisi. The ruling party has nominated Lado Kvaratskhelia, founder of food and beverages producing Ioli Group, in the same district.
Irakli Batiashvili will run in the Tbilisi’s Nadzaladevi district. MP Merab Samadashvili was nominated in that district by the ruling party.
The Republicans nominated Gela Kvachantiradze in the Gldani district. The Labor Party nominated Giorgi Gugava in the same district and the ruling party has yet to nominate candidate there.
Guliko Zumbadze was nominated in the Tbilisi’s Samgori district. Rusudan Kervalishvili, co-founder and co-owner of construction company Center Point, was nominated there by the ruling party.
MP Davit Berdzenishvili will run in Batumi single-mandate constituency of Adjara Autonomous Republic and Murman Dumbadze, leader of Republicans in Adjara, in the Khelvachauri single-mandate constituency of the Autonomous Republic.
The ruling party nominated Temur Charkviani, president of a construction firm, “Tbilisi.”, in the Batumi single-mandate constituency on April 5.
The Republicans leader said that the party would nominate its candidates in other single-mandate constituencies as well.
He also pointed out that the Republicans were still waiting for consultations with the eight-party opposition coalition to coordinate actions in the majoritarian MP election in order to prevent split of an overall opposition vote.
Deadline for nomination of majoritarian MP candidates expires on April 21.
Half of the 150-seat parliament will be elected through the party-list, proportional system and the remaining seats will be filled by majoritarian MPs elected in the 75 single-mandate constituencies.