Ex-PM Gakharia's party member elected Chkhorotsku Municipal Assembly head

Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party member Shota Tsurtsumia has been elected the chairman of Chkhorotsku Municipal Assembly.

In winning the spot, Tsurtsumia has become the first opposition member in the country to be elected an assembly head.

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The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has 12 members in the newly-elected Chkhorotsku Municipal Assembly, while the opposition United National Movement (UNM), Lelo and For Georgia have a total of 15 members.

Tsurtsumia was elected the head of assembly with 14 votes.

Ruling party MP Sozar Subari said that by electing For Georgia member the head of the assembly, the UNM 'formed a coalition' with Gakharia's party.

We were saying during the whole pre-election campaign that Gakharia's For Georgia party and the UNM were playing a mutual game... A coalition between the For Georgia party and the UNM has now been officially formed, Subari said.

Subari added that he expects the two parties to 'form similar alliances' in other municipalities as well.

• Ruling party loses majority in 7 out of 64 Georgian municipalities

In the 2021 municipal elections, the opposition won the majority in assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Senaki and Rustavi. 

GD garnered 47% of the vote in the proportional part of the race.