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UNM’s Party List of MP Candidates
Below is first 50 MP candidates on opposition United National Movement’s party list, running in the October 8 parliamentary elections under the proportional system:
- MP Davit Bakradze – leader of the UNM minority group in the outgoing parliament, who was UNM’s presidential candidate in 2013 elections garnering up to 22% of votes;
- Sandra Roelofs – wife of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is also a majoritarian MP candidate in Zugdidi municipality’s single-member district; she was not in UNM’s initial list of MP candidates and was included there in late August;
- Helen Khoshtaria – deputy state minister of European and Euro-Atlantic integration when the UNM was in government; she is a co-founder of Tbilisi-based think-tank Georgia’s Reforms Associates (GRASS);
- Roman Gotsiridze – he was president of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) in 2005-2007 and then served as economic adviser to then President Mikheil Saakashvili;
- Nika Melia – chief of UNM’s election campaign; he was UNM’s mayoral candidate in 2014 local elections in Tbilisi, receiving up to 28% of votes;
- Giorgi Tugushi – he chaired Tbilisi-based human rights watchdog group Georgian Democracy Initiative (GDI) before joining UNM this year; he served as Public Defender since 2009 before becoming minister in charge of the prison system in late September, 2012;
- Otar Kakhidze – he served at various positions in the Ministry of Justice since 2009 and was Deputy Justice Minister for few months before UNM was defeated in the 2012 parliamentary elections; he is a lawyer and a partner in Tbilisi-based law firm BGI Legal;
- Salome Samadashvili – Georgia’s ambassador to the EU in 2005-2013;
- Irakli Abesadze – a member of the Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo) from the UNM party and a former vice-mayor of Tbilisi;
- Sergi Kapanadze – he was Deputy Foreign Minister from early 2009 till October, 2012; after quitting public service, he co-founded GRASS think tank with Helene Khoshtaria;
- MP Sergo Ratiani – UNM’s executive secretary;
- MP Giorgi Kandelaki;
- Lela Keburia – a former head of the Education Ministry’s resource center in Zugdidi;
- MP Akaki Bobokhidze;
- Giga Bokeria – UNM’s foreign secretary; Georgia’s deputy foreign minister in 2008-2010, and National Security Council secretary in 2010-2013;
- MP Koba Nakopia;
- MP Irma Nadirashvili;
- Mamuka Chikovani;
- MP Tinatin Bokuchava;
- MP Ramaz Nikolaishvili;
- Zurab Tchiaberashvili, who is also a majoritarian MP candidate in Sagarejo single-mandate constituency; he was Georgia’s ambassador to Switzerland and then served as healthcare minister and governor of Kakheti region under ex-President Saakashvili’s administration;
- Lasha Damenia – head of UNM’s regional branch in Zugdidi;
- MP Khatuna Gogorishvili;
- Tengiz Gunava – former chief of police in Samegrelo region and ex-governor of the same region during Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidency;
- MP Zaza Kedelashvili;
- MP Azer Suleimanov;
- MP Gigi Tsereteli;
- MP Giorgi Gviniashvili;
- Nino Kalandadze – director of the Tbilisi-based Saakashvili Presidential Library; she was deputy foreign minister in 2008-2012;
- MP Omar Megrelidze;
- Arsen Karapetian – former chief of police in Ninotsminda;
- MP Mikheil Machavariani;
- Ex-MP Badri Basishvili;
- MP Zurab Chilingarashvili;
- MP Eka Kherkheulidze;
- MP Levan Tarkhnishvili;
- Dimitri Dzagnidze – a lawyer who was deputy head of presidential administration and president’s parliamentary secretary in 2012-2013;
- Davit Gogokhia – activist from UNM-affiliated group Free Zone;
- Levan Korjakhia – member of Zugdidi’s city council (Sakrebulo);
- Mamuka Sagareishvili – member of local council in Tskaltubo;
- Sophio Siukaeva – member of local council in Terjola;
- Nino Kvitaishvili – former principal of a public school;
- MP Davit Darchiashvili;
- Khatuna Berdzenishvili – former head of Krtsanisi district in Tbilisi and former head of public TV’s newsroom;
- Lali Raminashvili – former principal of one of Tbilisi’s public schools;
- Besik Kvitsiani – head of UNM’s local branch in Tbilisi’s Isani district;
- Beso Tserediani – former official from the ministry in charge of IDPs;
- Zviad Dushmanashvili – member of local council in Kvareli;
- Konstantine Mikeladze;
- Gevork Shushanian;
In Georgia’s mixed electoral system 77 seats in 150-member Parliament are allocated proportionally under the party-list contest among the parties and election blocs, which clear 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote.
Rest of the 73 MPs are elected in 73 single-member districts, known as “majoritarian” mandates; a majoritarian MP candidate has to win over 50% of votes in order to be an outright winner in the first round, otherwise a second round should be held no later than 25 days after the first round.
