GDDG Names Majoritarian MP Candidates in Kvemo Kartli Region

Ruling party, Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG), named on August 3 its majoritarian MP candidates for Kvemo Kartli region’s eight single-mandate constituencies.

In Rustavi, the region’s largest city close to Tbilisi, which has two single-mandate constituencies (districts No.30 and No.29), GDDG named Giorgi Begadze, director of Tourism Management Center at the Tbilisi-based Ilia State University’s Business School, and Paata Mkheidze, chief of investigative unit at the penitentiary ministry, as its majoritarian MP candidates.

UNM opposition party nominated in Rustavi’s constituencies Davit Kirkitadze (district No.30), who was Kvemo Kartli region’s governor during Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency, and Mamuka Chikovani (district No.29), who ran for Rustavi mayor in 2014, but was defeated by GD coalition candidate.

Free Democrats opposition party has named an actor Zurab Ingorokva (district No.29) and Teimuraz Menapire (district No.30) in Rustavi’s two single-mandate constituencies.

Most of the other political parties have yet to nominate their majoritarian candidates in the Kvemo Kartli region.

A long-time lawmaker Kakha Okriashvili, co-founder of Georgia’s one of the largest pharmaceutical chains PSP, will run as GDDG’s candidate in a constituency covering Dmanisi and Tsalka municipalities. In previous two parliaments, since 2004, Okriashvili was a majoritarian MP from Dmanisi as a member of then ruling UNM party. He was re-elected in the same district in 2012 elections as UNM member, but he quit the party shortly after the elections in which UNM was defeated by GD coalition.

Free Democrats (FD) opposition party has nominated a member of Tsalka local council (Sakrebulo), Jemal Vanadze, as its candidate in the constituency covering Dmanisi and Tsalka municipalities.

Head (gamgebeli) of Bolnisi municipality, Goga Meshveliani, will run as GDDG’s majoritarian MP candidate in the Bolnisi single-mandate constituency.

UNM named head of its local branch in Bolnisi, Samira Ismailova, as its candidate in the same constituency, and FD’s Baniamin Kasimov, a Defense Ministry employee before joining FD party this spring, is also standing for majoritarian MP in Bolnisi.

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili’s aide for national minority issues, Samvel Mirzoev, is GDDG’s candidate in Gardabani’s single-mandate constituency.

UNM’s Ramin Bairamov, a member of the Bolnisi local council (Sakrebulo), and FD’s Giga Molashkhia are running in the Gardabani single-mandate constituency as majoritarian MP candidates.
 
Head of the Education Ministry’s resource center in Marneuli municipality, Ruslan Gajiev, is GDDG’s majoritarian MP candidate in one of Marneuli’s single-mandate constituencies (district No.35). FD’s Ispander Kerimov runs in the same districts.

A principal of sports school in Marneuli, Tamaz Naveriani, is standing for majoritarian MP from GDDG in Marneuli’s another single-mandate constituency (district No.36). UNM’s Akhmed Imamquliyev, who lost the race for Marneuli gamgebeli in 2014 elections, is running in the same constituency. FD’s Giorgi Sisvadze is running in Marneuli’s same district.

GDDG named Goderdzi Chakseliani, a former head of anti-organized crime unit at the Interior Ministry, as its majoritarian MP candidate in Tetritskaro single-mandate constituency.

Apart of Kvemo Kartli region, the ruling party has so far nominated its majoritarian MP candidates in Imereti, Samegrelo, Guria, Shida Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti regions.

GDDG named Deputy Interior Minister Archil Talakvadze as its majoritarian MP candidate in Guria region’s Ozurgeti single-mandate constituency. FD is so far the only other party, who has nominated its candidate for the same constituency – a member of party’s governing body Teimuraz Salukvadze. MP from GDDG party, Temur Tchkuaseli, will run in Guria’s single-mandate constituency, which covers Chokhatauri and Lanchkhuti municipalities.

In Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, which has two single-mandate constituencies, GDDG’s MP Dimitri Khundadze will stand for re-election in Mtskheta and MP Zakaria Kutsnashvili – in a constituency covering Dusheti and Stepantsminda. An election bloc led by Alliance of Patriots of Georgia named Koka Morgoshia as its majoritarian MP candidate in Mtskheta and Irma Tskhoragauli in Dusheti and Stepantsminda.

GDDG named Ioseb Makrakhidze, a co-owner and CEO Gori-based asphalt manufacturing and road construction company Ibolia, as its majoritarian MP candidate in Gori, the main town of Shida Kartli region. MP from FD party Tamaz Shioshvili is running in the same district.

MP from the GDDG party, Tengiz Khubuluri, will run in a single-mandate constituency covering Gori municipality, except of the town of Gori. FD’s Murad Muradashvili is standing for the majoritarian MP in the same district. A former deputy defense minister and former member of UNM party, Andro Barnovi, has also announced about intention to run for majoritarian MP in Gori.
 
MP Valeri Gelashvili will stand for re-election as a majoritarian MP in Khashuri from the GDDG party. A former deputy governor of Shida Kartli region, Giorgi Totladze, will run in the Kareli constituency, and Irakli Mezurnishvili in Kaspi as GDDG’s candidates.

Georgia has a mixed electoral system in which 73 lawmakers are elected in 73 single-member constituencies, known in Georgia as “majoritarian” mandates (a candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner otherwise a second round should be held), and rest 77 seats are allocated proportionally under the party-list contest among political parties, which clear 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote.