State for People Election Bloc’s List of MP Candidates
Opera singer Paata Burchuladze-led election bloc, State for People, was formed in mid-August and initially it was uniting four parties: State for People, chaired by Burchuladze; New Rights Party; New Political Center (NPC)-Girchi (pine cone) and New Georgia – the two latter parties are led by former UNM members MP Zurab Japaridze and MP Giorgi Vashadze, respectively.
But on September 27 NPC-Girchi announced about quitting the bloc and the State for People changed its initial party-list of MP candidates, removing from it Girchi members.
Below is list of top 20 MP candidates of State for People election bloc, who are running in the October 8 parliamentary elections under the party-list, proportional system:
- Paata Burchuladze – leader of State for People party;
- MP Giorgi Vashadze – leader of New Georgia party;
- Davit Jandieri – State for People;
- Irakli Kipiani – State for People;
- Davit Kiziria – New Georgia;
- Melor Tkeshelashvili – State for People; he was MP in 1999-2003;
- Mamuka Katsitadze – leader of New Rights Party;
- Giorgi Papava – State for People
- Gocha Chelidze – State for People;
- Levan Khabeishvili – New Georgia;
- Lado Kakhadze – State for People;
- Zaur Kvikvinia – State for People;
- Tato Chulukhadze – State for People;
- Melkom Nadarian – State for People;
- Irakli Murtskhvaladze – State for People;
- Guram Chalagashvili – New Georgia; he was chairman of Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission in 2007-2013 and before that he served as chairman of Central Election Commission for more than a year;
- Tornike Chelidze – State for People;
- Vakhtang Tskhadaia – State for People;
- Paata Manjgaladze – New Georgia;
- Davit Topuria – New Georgia;
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.
