GDDG Names Majoritarian MP Candidates in Adjara

Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) ruling party nominated its majoritarian MP candidates for Adjara region’s six single-mandate constituencies on August 13.

GDDG lawmaker in the outgoing Parliament, Pati Khalvashi, will run for re-election in one of Batumi’s three single-mandate constituencies (district No.68). She is a sister of businessman Kibar Khalvashi, who is now trying to regain ownership of Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 TV through a lawsuit which is now in the Supreme Court.

She is so far the only female majoritarian MP candidate, nominated by the ruling party.

GDDG has so far named its majoritarian MP candidates in 51 out of 73 single-mandate constituencies; the ruling party will nominate candidates for Tbilisi’s 22 districts on August 15.

GDDG nominated head of the Batumi maternity clinic, Levan (Nukri) Bezhanidze, as its majoritarian MP candidate in Batumi’s No.69 district, and head of sports and youth department of Adjara Autonomous Republic, Mukhran Vakhtangadze as a candidate in Batumi’s No.70 district.

UNM opposition party named its majoritarian MP candidates in Batumi’s three single-mandate constituencies Giorgi Kirtadze, a member of the Batumi city council; Temur Dumbadze, a member of the Khelvachauri local council, and Mirdat Katamadze.

Republican Party’s chairperson, Khatuna Samnidze, is running in Batumi’s No.69 district.

GDDG named head of Adjara’s public health center, Koba Nakaidze, as its majoritarian MP candidate in Kobuleti. UNM’s Janiko Jincharadze and Republican Party’s Tristan Jincharadze also run for majoritarian MP in Kobuleti.

Ilia Nakashidze, an anesthesiologist in one of Batumi’s clinics who was chairman of Batumi city council in early 2000s, will run as GDDG’s majoritarian MP candidate in Khelvachauri. UNM’s Misha Bolkvadze runs in the same district.

Anzor Bolkvadze, who is a lawmaker from Adjara’s Khulo district since 2008, will run for re-election as GDDG’s candidate in a constituency which after redistricting unites Khulo, Shuakhevi and Keda mountainous districts of Adjara. He was elected in the Parliament as UNM member, but he quit the party after it lost elections in 2012 elections.

A member of the Khulo local council (Sakrebulo), Irakli Jorbenadze, runs as UNM’s majoritarian MP candidate in Khulo, Shuakhevi and Keda districts.

On August 9 GDDG nominated its majoritarian MP candidate in a single-mandate constituency uniting Mestia in the Svaneti region, as well as Ambrolauri, Oni, Tsageri and Lentekhi municipalities in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region. Gocha Enukidze, who is a majoritarian MP from Ambrolauri since 2008, will now run as GDDG’s candidate; he was re-elected in 2012 as UNM member, but quit the party after it lost elections in 2012.

UNM opposition party named Otar Siradze, a former governor of Racha-Lechkhumi, as its majoritarian MP candidate in the constituency uniting Mestia, Ambrolauri, Oni, Tsageri and Lentekhi.

An election bloc led by Alliance of Patriots nominated Emzar Kvitsiani as its candidate in Mestia, Ambrolauri, Oni, Tsageri and Lentekhi. Kvitsiani was in charge of Kodori gorge in breakaway Abkhazia before being ousted from there by government forces in 2006 after he declared defiance to the authorities in Tbilisi.

Georgia has a mixed electoral system in which 73 lawmakers in 150-seat Parliament are elected in 73 single-member constituencies, known in Georgia as “majoritarian” mandates.

A majoritarian MP candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner otherwise a second round should be held.

The rest 77 seats in the Parliament are allocated proportionally under the party-list contest among political parties, which clear 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote.