Some Opposition Parties Cooperate in Tbilisi Majoritarian Contest

Kakha Kukava, co-leader of opposition Conservative Party, withdrew from the race for Tbilisi City Council membership in favor of Davit Saganelidze of Alliance for Georgia.

Kukava, whose party is part of National Council coalition, also including Party of People and ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli’s Movement for Fair Georgia, was running in one of single-mandate, majoritarian constituency of Vake district.

Kukava called on his supporters in the constituency on May 26 to support Saganelidze, who is a member of the New Rights Party, part of Alliance for Georgia.

With Kukava’s withdrawal nine contenders remain in race in that constituency.
 
There are total of 25 single-mandate, majoritarian seats for grab in Tbilisi. The rest 25 in the Tbilisi City Council will be distributed among the parties who will clear 4% threshold in proportional, party-list contest.

A majoritarian candidate winning more votes than others will be declared an outright winner with no threshold set for candidates to clear.

Kukava said that his decision was motivated by the results of public opinion poll, which showed that Saganelidze had more chances to win the elections.

“We call on other political forces and majoritarian candidates to take similar steps to ensure that the opposition has single candidates in single-mandate constituencies,” which will increase an opposition candidate’s chances to succeed in the race with a ruling party candidate, a statement issued by the Conservative Party said.

Earlier Conservative Party pulled its candidate out of race in another single-mandate constituency of Tbilisi in favor of Tina Khidasheli of the Republican Party, part of Alliance for Georgia.
 
Few days ago two candidates from MP Gia Tortladze’s Democratic Party also withdrew from the race – one in favor of Tina Khidasheli and another in support of Davit Saganelidze. Withdrawal of those candidates was their individual decisions, not of the party they were representing.

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