Eight Parties to Run in Adjara Polls

Eight parties will be contesting the 18 seats in the Adjaran Autonomous Republic’s local parliament – the Supreme Council – on November 3.

The parties asking to be registered by the local election commission before the deadline expired on September 7, are: the ruling National Movement; Christian-Democratic Party; Industrialists Party; the Georgian Troupe; On Our Own; the Georgian Politics; National-Democratic Party; Georgia’s United Communist Party.

The Conservative Party, part of the opposition coalition, has also applied for registration to Adjara’s local election commission, but the party said it would not run in the polls.

The opposition Republican Party said it would not run either, citing the crisis in the country in the aftermath of the war with Russia and the continued presence of Russian forces on parts of Georgian territory. Davit Usupashvili, the Republican Party leader, said the current situation did not make it possible to have a comprehensive election campaign. He also complained about the existing election rules, which he said, gave an advantage to the ruling party.

The number of seats in the Supreme Council was reduced from 30 to 18, in accordance with amendments passed by Adjara’s legislative body in July.

Six of the 18 members will be elected through majoritarian contest in the Autonomous Republic’s single-mandate constituencies. A candidate receiving more than others, but not less than one-third of the vote, will be announced the outright winner in the majoritarian contests.

The remaining 12 seats will be contested through the party-list, proportional system.