UNM launches self-government election campaign

Georgian opposition party United National Movement (UNM) has officially launched its 2014 local self-government election campaign today from Zugdidi, a town in Samegrelo in Western Georgia. 

During a pre-election campaign meeting, UNM named its candidate for the Mayor of Zugdidi as Temur Basilia, while Tengiz Gunava will challenge the Gamgebeli office for the role of municipal Governor of the city in the June election.

Basilia currently worked as the head of staff of Zugdidi Council. 

Gunava is a former Governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region and the former head of the General Inspection of the Interior Ministry. 

On July 12, 2013 Tbilisi City Court sentenced Gunava to four years in prison after he was found guilty of misusing petrol and misappropriation of state property. 

Shortly after the then-President Mikheil Saakashvili pardoned Gunava and cleared the conviction from his criminal record. Gunava was restored to his Governor role but he left the postion after the 2013 Presidential election. 

Meanwhile, before the pre-election campaign an incident occurred between UNM supporters and people opposing the political party. Simultaneously, representatives of the Georgian Dream Coalition, the current ruling party, held a rally against the UNM. The incident resolved itself almost immediately.

Earlier yesterday, UNM also named Giorgi Diasamidze as the candidate for the Mayor of Batumi. Diasamidze is a member of Batumi Council and is a doctor by profession. 

The President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili said in his annual address in Parliament in February that he planned to set the local elections date for June 15, 2014. Despite this, the official date has not yet been announced.