Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Rival of 9 Mayoral Candidates in Gori

September 28, 2017
 
Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

There are nine mayoral candidates registered in Gori: Davit Makhniashvili on behalf of the European Georgian, Ioseb Sosiashvili on behalf of the Election Block “Dimitry Lortkipanidze, Kakha Kukava, Democratic Movement –Free Georgia; Revaz Kakhniashvili on behalf of the United National Movement, Tamar Zurabashvili on behalf of the Labor Party, Davit Oniashvili on behalf of the Movement of Construction, Sofiko Apriashvili on behalf of the election block Giorgi Vashadze- Unity for New Georgia, Aliko Lursmanashvili on behalf of the Socialist Georgia – Communists, Konstantine Tavzarashvili on behalf of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia and Nana Khizanishvili- on behalf of the election block For the People – Unity of People.

Less than one month is left before the local elections. Pre-election campaign is going slowly. The UNM was the first to launch the campaign on August 21. UNM leaders presented the Gori mayoral candidate Revaz Kakhniashvili and member candidates of the city council Mindia Goderdzishvili. The UNM also presented the proportional election list and “secured” majority of its single candidates by the proportional list. There are several new faces among the single mandate candidates and on the proportional list. The opposition political party gave preference to individual communication with the voters and started visiting the families during their pre-election campaign. 

The ruling party launched the pre-election campaign in Gori on August 29 by presenting the mayoral and single mandate candidates. Georgian Dream nominated the acting chairperson of the Gori municipal council Konstantine Tavzarashvili as mayoral candidate. Regardless the officially launched campaign, the proportional election list of the party is still secret. The local governmental bodies could not agree on the final version of the list and it was corrected every day. The list caused the conflict inside the Gori organization of the Georgian Dream. The people, who were actively involved in the work of the political party but were left beyond the list, quitted the party.

One of the founders of the TV-Company Trialeti Badri Nanetashvili was registered as the mayoral candidate. His office presented the sufficient number of signatures to the Gori DEC and the latter granted election number # 42 to Badri Nanetashvili. However, he finally cancelled his candidature and became the first number of the proportional election list of the Movement of Construction that means that in case of winning the elections he will occupy the position of the chairperson of the city council. The Movement of Construction nominated acting Gori municipality governor Davit Oniashvili for the mayoral candidate. Oniashvili joined the movement after the ruling party refused him to nominate for the mayoral candidate.

The European Georgia nominated Davit Makhniashvili for the mayoral candidate. He was member of the Gori organization of the Free Democrats.
The People’s Party also nominated the candidates for the positions of the city mayor and chairperson of the city council. Nana Khizanishvili will contest for the mayor’s position and Ilia Metreveli for the second. The latter entered the 2014 convocation city council from the political party Irakli Okruashvili Georgian Party. For several months he was chairperson of the city council after the impeachment of the predecessor; however later he also quitted the job after the impeachment. Ilia Metreveli said he never had opportunity to do job in the council and now wants to try his fate from the People’s Party. 

The members of Irakli Okruashvili’s political party Kakha Ergemlidze and Temur Afkhazashvili are now single mandate candidates of the Movement of Construction. The Alliance of Patriots did not nominate the mayoral candidate but acting member of the city council and head of their local organization Tamar Kodoshvili is the first number of the proportional list. 
The Republic Party will not have mayoral and city council chairperson’s candidates during the local elections. They focused only on the proportional election list. 

After the final results of the local elections are announced, Gori and villages of Gori municipality will be unified under one self-governmental entity. The unified municipality council will have 39 members, 15 of them will represent the political parties and the other 24 will be single mandate candidates. 

News