Recently released ex-Interior Minister Merabishvili has ‘no plans’ to run for parliament

Former top figure of the United National Movement (UNM) government Vano Merabishvili, who left prison earlier this year, says that he has ‘no plans to enter parliament or take any governmental post’ after the October parliamentary elections. 

In a Facebook post released yesterday Merabishvili says that the ruling Georgian Dream party has no chances to win the race, noting that the opposition’s unity will be ‘decisive’ in these ‘very important elections.’ 

Unfortunately, the opposition is frequently engaged with political trading and discussions on how to share seats and mandates, instead of offering something new to the public,” Merabishvili said. 

Merabishvili believes that a ‘renewed UNM’ is the only force which is able to ‘win the elections and bring welfare to the people’. 

The united opposition was unable to present joint majoritarian candidates in 24 of 30 majoritarian constituencies around the country. 

One member of the united opposition, Giorgi Vashadze has left the bloc and created a new political platform with Tako Charkviani. 

The elections in the autumn will be held in a different manner, with 120 MPs elected per the party-list based electoral system and the remaining 30 per the majoritarian electoral model. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party has already  nominated all 30 of its majoritarian candidates for the upcoming elections, both for the eight constituencies of the capital Tbilisi and the regions. 

The ruling party says that  the opposition has ‘zero chances to win the elections.’