Candidates Named for MP By-Election

By Times.am
1 May, 2010, 11:46 pm

Simultaneously with May 30 local elections, in three single-mandate
constituencies voters will also elect lawmakers to fill three vacant
seats in the Parliament.

MP by-elections will be held in Tbilisi’s Chugureti single-mandate,
majoritarian constituency, as well as in two provincial constituencies
of Ozurgeti western Georgia and Gurjaani in eastern region of Kakheti.

Deadline for submitting candidates expired on April 30. These
by-elections for three parliamentary seats will not influence to the
current power balance in the parliament, dominated by the ruling
party.

Five candidates will be contesting a majoritarian seat in the
Tbilisi’s Chugureti constituency – Andro Alavidze, nominated by the
ruling National Movement party; Kakha Basilaia of Christian-Democratic
Movement; Levan Roinishvili of Movement for Fair Georgia, led by ex-PM
Zurab Nogaideli and Lana Galdava, nominated by MP Gia Tortladze’s
Democratic Party of Georgia and Giorgi Gachechiladze, nominated by
newly established party, which is led by Tbilisi mayoral candidate
Nika Ivanishvili.

MP Tortladze’s party has also nominated its candidates in two other
constituencies – Maia Orjonikidze in Ozurgeti and Levan Cholokashvili
in Gurjaani; both of the candidates are fierce critics of the
non-parliamentary opposition and both of them have featured for number
of times in TV political talk shows and programs, defending the
authorities’ various policies.

Other candidates nominated in Gurjaani are: Giorgi Chiviashvili of the
ruling National Movement party; Zaza Natsvlishvili of Movement for
Fair Georgia and Levan Koberidze of Party of Future.

Two other candidates are also running in Ozurgeti district, apart of
the one nominated by MP Tortladze’s party: Gocha Shanidze of the
ruling party and Ilia Kalandadze of Movement for Fair Georgia.

Three majoritarian seats in the Parliament became vacant after ex-MP
from Chugureti constituency Lasha Zhvania was appointed as Economy
Minister in December, 2008 (he was dismissed from the post in August,
2009); former lawmaker from the Gurjaani single-mandate constituency,
Giorgi Gviniashvili, was appointed as governor of Kakheti region and
Anzor Erkomaishvili, a former lawmaker from the Ozurgeti
single-mandate constituency, quit the Parliament.

/Civil Georgia/