Kavelashvili Schedules Local Elections for October 4
Georgian Dream-elected President Mikheil Kavelashvili has set October 4 as the official date for Georgia’s local elections, issuing a decree on August 1 that formally launches the campaign for the partially boycotted municipal vote.
Nine opposition parties, including United National Movement/Unity and the Coalition for Change – two of the groups that cleared the 5% threshold in last year’s disputed parliamentary elections – are boycotting the vote, while two other major forces – Lelo/Strong Georgia and Gakharia’s For Georgia – are determined to run.
The formal announcement comes as large campaign banners of incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze, nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party to seek a third term, have flooded the capital with the slogan: “Peace to Georgia, More Good to Tbilisi.”
Lelo/Strong Georgia and Gakharia’s For Georgia have also started campaigning, currently cooperating on a joint strategy and pledging to agree on mayoral candidates. Speculation in pro-government media circles suggests their possible nominee for Tbilisi could be Aleko Elisashvili, leader of the Citizens Party and Kaladze’s key rival in the 2017 mayoral race. Another candidate reportedly under consideration is Giorgi Sharashidze, a current City Council member from the For Georgia party founded by ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia.
With two months remaining before the scheduled vote, the political climate remains tense, marked by ongoing repression, legislative crackdowns on the opposition and freedom of expression, and repeated guilty verdicts in protest-related cases. Opposition parties and their supporters backing the boycott cite democratic backsliding and Georgia’s shift away from the EU path as reasons for refusing to participate.
Eight opposition figures, including six active political leaders, are currently jailed for defying a parliamentary commission chaired by GD veteran Tea Tsulukiani. Gakharia also remains abroad as he faces two separate probes over his actions from 2019, when he served as the GD interior minister.
On July 4, Kavelashvili publicly offered to pardon the jailed leaders if they agreed to participate in the elections, a move that was swiftly rejected by the arrested politicians.
Also Read:
- 30/07/2025 – Georgian Dream Picks Kakha Kaladze to Seek Third Term as Tbilisi Mayor
- 24/07/2025 – Anna Dolidze Says Her For People Party Won’t Run in Local Elections
- 08/07/2025 – ODIHR Regrets GD Government’s ‘Stated Intention’ Not to Invite Monitoring Mission
- 17/06/2025 – Treason or Opportunity – Opposition Squabbles over Municipal Elections
This post is also available in: ქართული