Ex-Footballer Kaladze Leads Georgian Dream’s Party List

Retired footballer Kakha Kaladze, who was the captain of the Georgian national team until December 2011, will lead list of MP candidates of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s opposition coalition Georgian Dream.

Kaladze, who won the Champions League on two occasions with AC Milan, is a newcomer in the politics and a member of Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia, one of the six parties united in the Georgian Dream election bloc.

Ivanishvili said at a news conference on August 31, that although Kaladze leads his coalition’s party-list, it did not mean that ex-footballer would be Georgian Dream’s candidate for parliamentary chairman’s post.

Kaladze is also a majoritarian MP candidate running in his native Samtredia single-mandate constituency.
 
Ivanishvili himself is not running for an MP seat in the October 1 parliamentary elections. Ivanishvili said that about half of 200 candidates in the list are from his party – Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia.
 
Others in the top of the list are leaders of those six parties, which make up the Georgian Dream election bloc.

Number two in the list is Manana Kobakhidze, a chairperson of Ivanishvili’s party, followed by Irakli Alasania, leader of Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD); Davit Usupashvili, leader of Republican Party; Gogi Topadze, leader of Industry Will Save Georgia; Gubaz Sanikidze of the National Forum; Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of Conservative Party.

Three other candidates in the top ten of the list are: academician Ivane Kiguradze from Ivanishvili’s party; Davit Saganelidze, former member of the New Rights Party; Irakli Garibashvili, member of Ivanishvili’s party, who led billionaire’s charitable foundation.

Koba Davitashvili, a long-time opposition politician who is with the Georgian Dream coalition from the very beginning of its formation in February, is number eleven.

Two next candidates in the list are from two small parties, which are not members of the Georgian Dream coalition: Gia Zhorzholiani, leader of the Social-Democrats and Giorgi Gachechiladze, leader of Greens Party.

Ivanishvili said that inclusion of leaders of non-coalition political parties in the list demonstrated the Georgian Dream’s effort to cooperate with all “the healthy opposition” groups in the country.

Georgian Dream’s spokesperson and Georgia’s former ambassador to the Netherlands, Maia Panjikidze, is fourteenth in the list of Georgian Dream’s list of MP candidates, followed by Republican Party member Davit Berdzenishvili.

Next twenty candidates in the list are:

16. Nodar Khaduri – Ivanishvili’s party Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG);
17. Nino Goguadze – from Irakli Alasania’s party Our Georgia- Free Democrats (OGFD);
18. Gela Khvedelidze – GDDG
19. Giorgi Khechinashvili – National Forum
20 Tedo Japaridze – GDDG
21. Tkemaladze Zurab – Industry Will Save Georgia;
22. Sozar Subari – ex-public defender and member of GDDG;
23. Giga Bukia – Conservative Party;
24. Lasha Natsvlishvili – GDDG;
25. Irakli Chikovani – OGFD;
26. Irine Imerlishvili – GDDG;
27. Gigla Agulashvili – Republican Party;
28. Levan Berdzenishvili – Republican Party;
29. Gogla Zhvania – GDDG;
30. Ani Mirotadze – National Forum;
31. Guguli Magradze – GDDG;
32. Tamaz Kacheishvili – Industry Will Save Georgia;
33. Giorgi Volsky – GDDG;
34. Bidzina Gujabidze – Conservative Party;
35. Tamaz Avdaliani – GDDG;

77 seats in 150-member Parliament will be allocated under the proportional, party-list system among those parties and election blocs, which will clear 5% threshold, and remaining 73 seats will go to majoritarian MPs elected in single-mandate constituencies.

Candidates positioned highest on their respective party’s list of MP candidates have more chances of getting seat in the legislative body if that party or an election bloc clears 5% threshold in the elections.

According to Georgia’s election code, any political party or an election bloc of several parties will automatically endorse six candidates from the list in the Parliament if it clears 5% threshold; so if a party receives 5% or more but if it translates into having only one or two MPs, this party or a bloc will anyway be able eligible to having endorse six MP at the expense of taking seats from other parties having better results in elections. It means that clearing of 5% threshold will automatically give a party or a bloc opportunity to establish a faction within the parliament, which requires having at least six lawmakers.  

The ruling party has yet to unveil its party list, which will be led by an incumbent parliamentary speaker Davit Bakradze.
 
Deadline for submitting party-lists to Central Election Commission expires on September 1.

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