Labor Party Presents Majoritarian, Mayoral Candidates
On September 26, the Labor Party of Georgia unveiled the list of majoritarian candidates in 10 out of 30 single-mandate constituencies to run in the October 31 parliamentary elections. The party also named its mayoral candidates as well as candidates who will be running for the City Council (Sakrebulo) membership. The party leader Shalva Natelashvili named himself as the Labor’s prime ministerial hopeful.
In the capital city of Tbilisi, Natelashvili will run in Nadzaladevi district on the joint opposition ticket. His son, Beka Natelashvili will run in Mtskheta-Dusheti-Tianeti-Kazbegi constituency.
The Labor Party’s remaining majoritarian candidates are listed as follows:
- Nika Vardoshvili – Telavi, Akhmeta, Kvareli and Lagodekhi municipalities;
- Mikheil Kumsishvili – Rustavi municipality;
- Ali Badirov – Marneuli and Gardabani municipalities;
- Temur Tsiklauri – Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Tetritskaro and Tsalka municipalities;
- Giorgi Chitauri – Akhaltsikhe, Borjomi, Adigeni and Aspindza municipalities;
- Samson Gugava – Tkibuli, Terjola, Zestaponi and Bagdati municipalities;
- Davit Mamaladze – Ozurgeti, Lanchkhuti and Chokhatauri municipalities;
- Tariel Kalandarishvili – Batumi municipality
The Labor Party named Zurab Lomia as the number one on its party list to run in the Adjara Supreme Council elections scheduled for October 31.
Irakli Kikvadze and Otar Kosashvili were named as mayoral candidates for Kutaisi and Kaspi, respectively.
The party also named its majoritarian MP candidates who will be running in by-elections for the City Council (Sakrebulo) memberships – Mamuka Jugeli will run for Krtsanisi majoritarian MP in Tbilisi Sakrebulo; Mariam Gochaleishvili – in Oni; Tamar Menabdishvili – in Telavi and Tatia Maisuradze – in Manglisi (Tetritskaro municipality).
Presenting women candidates – Gochaleishvili, Menabdishvili, and Maisuradze – for Sakrebulo membership, Labor leader Natelashvili noted that he kept the “tastiest” and “the most beautiful” announcements for the end. “We can get votes for their beauty only,” Shalva Natelashvili remarked.
Natelashvili’s rhetoric earned him scathing criticism from a number of media outlets and activists, accusing the Labor leader of “sexism.”
Speaking of the promises, the Labor leader pledged to return the property “grabbed by [Bidzina] Ivanishvili [ruling Georgian Dream party chairman] and [Kakha] Kaladze [Tbilisi Mayor]” to the state budget. Among other promises made by Natelashvili are social guarantees, free education, unemployment compensations, and protection of Georgian lands against “foreign expansion.”
“Georgia belongs to Georgian citizens regardless of their ethnicities and it’s them, in the first place, who should live happily here,” the Labor Party leader said.
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