Ruling party reveals top 20 of 120-member party list, keeps PM, parliament speaker

The ruling Georgian Dream party has named 20 candidates of its 120-member party list for the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 31.

The ruling party will keep Giorgi Gakharia as its candidate for prime minister because of his high level of professionalism and patriotism, as well as his excellent leadership and management skills.

Archil Talakvadze will again serve as the parliament speaker. 

The top 20 nominees of the Georgian Dream party list are:

1. Giorgi Gakharia - Prime Minister
2. Archil Talakvadze - Parliament Speaker
3. Irakli Kobakhidze - ruling party executive secretary
4. Tea Tsulukiani - Justice Minister
5. Mamuka Mdinaradze - deputy parliament speaker
6. Kakha Kuchava - ruling party international secretary
7. Giorgi Kakhiani - deputy parliament speaker
8. Mariam Kvrivishvili - head of Georgian National Tourism Administration
9. Mikheil Sarjveladze - first deputy Justice Minister
10. Maia Bitadze - deputy Tbilisi Mayor 
11. Mikheil Daushvili - business ombudsman
12. Giorgi Amilakhvari - Tbilisi Open University rector
13. Viktor Sanikidze - basketball player
14. Maka Bochorishvili - deputy ambassador to the EU
15. Shalva Papuashvili - associate professor at Ilia State University
16. Davit Kacharava - rugby player
17. Nikoloz Samkharadze - associate professor at Tbilisi State University
18. Giorgi Khelashvili - head of parliamentary research centre
19. Mariam Lashkhi - deputy head of Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency
20. Beka Davituliani - Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo) MP

Photo: Shot from the Georgian Dream video

Ruling party founder and chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili has thanked everyone ‘for the trust and support’.

It is precisely this trust and support that strengthens our belief that we, together with you, will lead this country forward, toward development, success, and the prosperity of each and every family”, Bidzina Ivanishvili said.

He further noted that the idea behind the creation of the Georgian Dream party was to make Georgia 'a European country where people and their dignity are protected, where everyone can support their family through hard work, and where peace, stability and development are guaranteed’.

There are people in this team who have already proven that they are capable of fulfilling their responsibilities, of remaining faithful to the idea and the work that needs to be done, and of steering the country and the people away from peril even in the most difficult of situations”, he said.

Ivanishvili added as well that the Georgian Dream ‘will continue to build roads, bridges, tunnels, universities, schools, and kindergartens, to support the Georgian village, to care for the people and their health’.

• Ruling party reveals its 30 majoritarian candidates for Tbilisi and regions

This year's elections will be held in a different manner in Georgia, with 120 MPs elected per the party-list based electoral system and the remaining 30 per the majoritarian electoral model. 

The ruling party nominated its 30 majoritarian candidates for the eight constituencies of the capital Tbilisi as well as the regions back in July.