Georgia is preparing to hold the most complicated and complex elections in the country’s election history in two days and many voters are overwhelmed by the vast number of election candidates.
The lengthy, official name of this event is the June 15 2014 Elections of Representative and Executive Bodies of Local Municipalities.
However, people colloquially call it the "local elections” and are having a hard time understanding who is running for what.
For the first time in Georgia’s history, seventy one local self-government bodies - Sakrebulos (elected representative local councils) and 2,088 members of Sakrebulo, 12 city Mayors and 59 heads of local municipalities – Gamgebelis – will be directly elected by voters.
Among the plethora of elections candidates are a lot of newcomers. Agenda.ge looked through the election lists and selected four Tbilisi majoritarian candidates with no previous political experience but well-known in their own right in a range of fields, to introduce to you today.
The first is Alexander Elisashvili, who is one of only five Tbilisi majoritarian candidates who is non-partisan and is running as an independent politician.
Elisashvili founded and chaired the unity for Tbilisi guardians - Tiflis Hamkari. Photo Elisashvili's official Facebook page
The 36-year-old studied political sciences but cemented a name for himself in the country’s media industry. He had worked for different media outlets in Georgia almost for a decade.
With a good knowledge of the capital’s history, in 2006 he founded and chaired the unity for Tbilisi guardians - Tiflis Hamkari.
Being honest, trustworthy and having a good public reputation helped Elisashvili become appointed to the post of head of the Pardon Commission of Georgia at the beginning of 2014. Since he took up this role, hundreds of inmates have returned home after being pardoned by the Commission.
Elisashvili is running as the Majoritarian Candidate to represent Tbilisi’s Saburtalo district in the city’s local self-government body – Sakrebulo.
Meanwhile, the Georgian public can only guess what Irakli Abuseridze will be like as a politician but he is very much loved in Georgia for his sporting achievements.
Abuseridze is still asked for autographs when meeting locals during his election campaign. Photo from Abuseridze's official Facebook page
Abuseridze, 36, is the most capped player of all time in Georgia’s rugby history. He captained the country’s National Rugby Union Team for many years and helped it gain a vast array of international titles. The Lelos won the European Nations Cup for several times when they were led by Abuseridze.
He was one of the active supporters of the United Nation’s initiative in Georgia which saw Georgian rugby players, Abuseridze included, speak out against violence against women. The athlete was seen on television adverts stating women’s oppression was a weakness not a strength.
Since 2013, Abuseridze has been a director of the Georgian Rugby Union. In addition to his sporting career, he studied Economy at Tbilisi State University.
He now is running for the Georgian Dream party majoritarian candidate in Tbilisi’s Vazisubani district.
The third candidate Agenda.ge investigated was 36-year-old Beka Natsvlishvili – the Georgian Dream candidate in Krtsanisi district of Tbilisi.
Natsvlishvili meetis Krtsanisi residents before the elections. Photo from Natsvlishvili's official Facebook page
One of his recent most notable acts was being the Government’s representative to help peacefully resolve the longest strike in Georgia’s history, which ended with both parties reconciling.
An agreement was reached between striking miners and the mining company’s administration after the Government appointed a mediator who assisted the parties to negotiate earlier this year.
Natsvlishvili worked as a Government Administration advisor since 2012. Before that he had no political experience but had plenty of academic experience. After spending eight years studying political and social sciences in different prestigious Universities worldwide, Natshvlishvili served as an assistant professor in numerous Georgian Universities.
Alongside teaching, he was in charge of developing Georgian tourism at the country’s Tourism Association.
Finally, Tarkhan Gasviani is probably the youngest candidate in the 2014 local elections. At 23 years of age, some might think he lacks knowledge and experience but Gasviani has achieved a lot in his time.
Gasviani is one of the youngest candidates for the elections. Photo from Gasviani's Facebook page
He and his father, Tornike Gasviani, were believed to be political prisoners during the previous government. His father was recognized in the scandalous videos, leaked before the 2012 Parliamentary elections, which showed prisoners being tortured.
Gasviani works as a presenter for a local media outlet, is a photographer and director of Gasviani Studio.
He believed his age was an advantage over other candidates. "It’s good to start taking care of your country and people as early as possible,” he said.
As he remembered his past, which he claimed involved kidnapping and torture by police, Gasviani said: "what did not kill me made me stronger”.
Gasviani is running for Tbilisi’s central Vake ditrict candidate from the Alliance of Patriots.
On Election Day, Tbilisi residents will have a say in deciding which of these four, if any, will embark on a political career or whether they will return to their previous work.