Republican Candidate Out of Race in Favor of Nine-Party Bloc Leader

The Republican Party said on May 15 its majoritarian MP candidate in the Abasha single-mandate constituency in the Samegrelo region was pulling out from race in favor of Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of the Freedom Party, part of nine-party opposition bloc.

Davit Usupashvili, leader of the Republican Party, called on supporters in Abasha to cast their ballot for Gamsakhurdia in the majoritarian contest. Five candidates now remain running in the Abasha constituency. This is a rare case when one opposition candidate withdraws from the race in favor of another. Last week Temur Shalikiani, a majoritarian MP candidate nominated by Rightist Alliance-Topadze-Industrialists election bloc in Kutaisi, said he was forced to pull out from the race citing the authorities pressure, but called on supporters to vote for the nine-party opposition bloc’s candidate in Kutaisi Gubaz Sanikidze.

Several opposition candidates are contesting in each of the 75 single-mandate constituencies for the majoritarian MP seats, which is an advantage for the ruling party majoritarian MP candidates.