United opposition presidential candidate will be registered as UNM candidate
The opposition coalition “Unity is Power” named Grigol Vashadze its presidential candidate in July 2018. Photo: Grigol Vashadze press office.
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The candidate of 10 opposition parties Grigol Vashadze has been refused by the Central Election Commission of Georgia (CEC) to run in the 28 October presidential race with the name of the opposition political unity.
The CEC says that Vashadze will be presented on ballot papers as the candidate of the United National Movement.
The decision has been protested by Vashadze and he said that he will appeal the decision in court.
Head of the CEC Tamar Zhvania says that initially the candidate was registered by the UNM, before the party allied with other opposition parties to nominate Vashadze as a common candidate.
Zhvania said that the CEC decision is “in full line with the law” as the election code prohibits changes in the name of a political subject for the presidential elections.
The opposition coalition "Civil Movement - Unity is Power" has presented United National Movement member Grigol Vashadze, ex-Foreign Affairs minister under the Saakashvili government during 2008-2012, as their presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze’s signature appeared on the opposition presidential candidate Mikheil Antadze’s supporters’ list, Imedi TV reports.
The Head of the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) Tamar Zhvania has stated that about 42 million GEL (16 million USD) will be spent on the upcoming presidential elections.
Georgia has 46 potential candidates for the upcoming presidential elections so far. The deadline for registering as a candidate for the presidential elections is September 28. Presidential elections will be held throughout the country on October 28.