Current president Giorgi Margvelashvili not to run in presidential elections
He underlined that during the five years of his presidency he was in the service of the Georgian nation, not the elite or other powerful groups in the country.
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Fourth President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili has announced his decision not to run in the upcoming elections at a meeting with students and professors at the Presidential Palace in Tbilisi today.
His special guest at the gathering was former president of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers.
“I will not run for president, I will continue to serve my county in another way. These elections are very important and Georgian citizens should decide what Georgia’s future will be. We should strive to be a free and democratic [country] with the active involvement of citizens and the President should be in the service of citizens,” said Margvelashvili while talking about the elections set for October 28.
He underlined that during the five years of his presidency he was in the service of the Georgian nation, not the elite or other powerful groups in the country. This will be also the main challenge for the future president, said Margvelashvili.
“The politician who will serve the next term should remember that his only barometer and customers are the citizens of Georgia, not some other person or influential groups. What should the next president do – he should unite nation, not split it."
He thanked his family and team for working with him in the past five years and spoke out about the “unprecedented support” he feels every time walking in the streets from the people.
Giorgi Margvelashvili was elected as the President of Georgia on October 27, 2013 with 62.18 percent of votes. He was named as the presidential candidate by the coalition “Georgian Dream” in May 2013.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has stated that it would be better for the democracy of the country for the Georgian Dream party not to put forward a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.
Former Parliament Speaker of Georgia David Usupashvili has announced today that he will run for president.
Independent MP in the Georgian parliament Salome Zurabishvili, who holds both Georgian and French citizenship, has launched procedures to renounce French citizenship, the head of the Parliament’s Legal Committee Eka Beselia has confirmed.
A majority of those polled believe the opposition should unite around a single candidate and 41 percent of respondents agree with the statement that it would be better for the country if someone outside the ruling party wins the presidency, NDI polls showed.
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.
The Georgian Central Election Commission has refused to register 20 presidential candidates out of a total of 46 for the October 28 elections, as the candidates failed to present a list of supporters.
The Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) has announced today that 25 candidates have been registered for the October 28 elections.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the United National Movement opposition is trying to trigger provocations during the pre-election campaign and discredit the election environment ahead of October 28 presidential race.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, whose presidential term expires next month, pushed forward the occupation issue of historic Georgian lands during his speech at the 14th International Forum “Sustaining Peace and Development in a Changing World” in New York yesterday.
The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs George Kent has stated in Tbilisi that the US wants Georgia to hold successful presidential elections on 28 October.
Data provided by the Public Service Development Agency shows that there are 3,558,437 potential voters in Georgia. The data was submitted to the Central Election Commission (CEC) yesterday.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze says that the Georgian Dream ruling party and their supported presidential candidate Salome Zourabichvili have offered opponents a European style election campaign, while the opposition has chosen a different path.
Leading members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s (OSCE PA) election observation mission to the 28 October presidential election in Georgia are arriving this week in Tbilisi, OSCE PA press office has announced.
Georgian soldiers who are taking part in the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan have already voted for their favorable presidential candidates.
Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze has met with the election observation mission of NDI and of the European Parliament to discuss the election environment a day before the presidential elections.