MP Koba Davitashvili, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, announced on September 5 that he is quitting parliament to run for Tbilisi Mayor in the October 5 local self-governance elections.
?I hope that a fair struggle, a struggle for the truth, will always be fruitful. I call on society to make its choice. If we struggle together, we will achieve more success,? Davitashvili said at a news conference.
The Conservative Party will run in the local elections in a collation with the Republican Party, with MP Davitashvili running as the joint mayoral candidate.
The coalition has nominated Tina Khidasheli of the Republican Party to run for Chairman of the Tbilisi City Council.
Koba Davitashvili was elected in the Georgian Parliament from the Tbilisi?s Gldani single-mandate constituency. After his resignation from Parliament by-elections in the Gldani constituency should be held within six months, according to the law.
According to the law, the Tbilisi Mayor is elected by the 37-member Tbilisi City Council ? the Sakrebulo – where 25 members will be elected through a first-past-the-post, ?winner takes all? majoritarian system in Tbilisi?s ten constituencies. Five out of ten elections districts in Tbilisi will be three-mandate constituencies and other five – two-mandate constituencies. The remaining 12 seats in the Sakrebulo will be distributed through a so called ?compensatory list? from among parties that garner at least 4% of votes in all ten constituencies of the capital city.
Koba Davitashvili said that he plans to run for Sakrebulo membership in the Gldani three-mandate constituency.
Davitashvili is the fourth contender to enter the race for the position of Tbilisi Mayor. Davitashvili will have to compete with ex-Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, who leads the Georgia?s Way opposition party; beer magnate Gogi Topadze, nominated by the Industrialist opposition party and incumbent Mayor Gigi Ugulava, the nomination of the ruling National Movement party.
Koba Davitashvili?s move to quit the Parliament was a risky decision because if he loses in the October 5 elections the opposition will have one less MP in the legislative body.
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)