Opposition parties put forward UNM chair Melia for Tbilisi mayor, Droa leader Khoshtaria for Sakrebulo chair
Nika Melia and Elene Khoshtaria, who represnet different political groups, say it is time for coalition government in Georgia. Photo: Shot from live video address
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A number of opposition parties have put forward the United National Movement chair Nika Melia for the post of Tbilisi mayor, while Droa movement leader Elene Khoshtaria has been put forward for the City Council (Sakrebulo) chair for the upcoming municipal elections in October.
Melia and Khoshtaria released a joint video address in Facebook yesterday as representatives of ‘multi-party coalition’.
Now is the time to prove [our] unity not only with words, but deeds and decisions... I strongly believe that the coalition government is the future of Georgia”, the UNM chair said.
Noting that ‘there is no time for celebrations’ in the country where journalists ‘are being beaten’ and citizens are ‘left alone’ to face the coronavirus pandemic, Melia said he is ready to fight.
I have never feared to fight not because I am brave enough, rather because I know that the sincere fight ends with eventual victory”, Nika Melia said in his video address.
Nika Melia, charged with incitement to violence during the June protests in Tbilisi back in 2019, was was released shortly after the Georgian political parties signed the EU-mediated agreement in April. Photo: NIka Melia's Facebook page
Melia also said that the UNM will not name majoritarian candidates in any district of Tbilisi; it will support the joint opposition candidates instead.
Today Elene and I are standing in front of you as representatives of multi-party coalition.
Former member of European Georgia party Elene Khoshtaria who now leads Droa movement also believes that it is time to ‘stand above the narrow party interests and show the power of unity to the team, which is destroying our country’.
Nika and I represent different teams, we have differences, we have argued and will still argue, but today we declare the joint fight”, Khoshtaria said.
Adding that ‘everything cannot be in hands of one force only’ Khoshtaria said ‘the power is in diversity’.
It is time for changes today, it is time for victory today”, she concluded.
Elene Khoshtaria, who refuced to take her parlaimentary mandate following the 2020 elections, created a new political force Droa (eng. It's Time) in March. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Moreover, leader of Girchi-More Freedom Zurab Japaridze, who could not join Melia and Khoshtaria due to health issues, was put forward for the post of vice-mayor of Tbilisi.
Japaridze wrote on Facebook that on October 2 municipal elections his team will also have several majoritarian candidates.
He said the main task of the opposition is to receive over 58 percent of votes in total leading to snap parliamentary elections, which is the part of the EU-mediated agreement.
The agreement says that ‘early parliamentary elections shall be called in 2022 if the Georgian Dream party receives less than 43% of valid proportional votes in the October 2021 local self-government elections’.
The opposition should therefore show their resources for compromise and cooperation”, he said.
Meanwhile, earlier this week the ruling Georgian Dream party has put forward current Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze for reelection.
Member of the Georgian Parliament and a former leader of the European Georgia opposition party Elene Khoshtaria has created a new political force Droa (eng. It's Time) which aims to expose corrupt officials, abusers, thieves-in-law and those involved in nepotism and who have ties to Russia.
Transparency International (TI) Georgia and International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) say violent posters in the streets of Tbilisi pose a threat to the health and life of the opposition and media representatives.
Georgian Dream ruling party has officially named Kakha Kaladze, Mayor of Tbilisi, as its candidate for a second term in the position, ahead of the municipal elections set to be held in October.
Head of the United National Movement (UNM) Nika Melia, who was released from pretrial custody on May 10, met with the UNM party founder and ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili in Kyiv yesterday.
Zurab Japaridze, one of the founders of the libertarian Girchi party, has launched the More Freedom-Girchi party, following controversies with several fellow party members. Japaridze said yesterday that the new party will differ from the previous party a lot.
The head of opposition United National Movement (UNM) party Nika Melia, who has been nominated for Tbilisi mayor by several opposition parties, has stated he is giving up his parliamentary mandate to prepare for the October 2 municipal elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has received the most donations of all political parties from May till today which amounted to 230,000 GEL (about $73,725/€62,090), the Georgian State Audit Office reports. Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s political party For Georgia, which was launched on May 29, 2021, has received 219,516 GEL (about $70,364/€59,259) in the last three months. Among the party’s donors are MPs and For Georgia members.
Significant shortcomings were not found in the parliamentary elections of October 31, 2020, the temporary parliamentary commission created to study the matter stated earlier today. The Georgian parliament established the temporary commission earlier this year to investigate allegations of parliamentary election violations, which caused a six-month political standoff in the country and was largely solved following the EU-mediated agreement on April 19.
The European Georgia, Girchi - More Freedom and Movement Droa will nominate joint majoritarian candidates in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi for the upcoming October 2 local municipal elections on August 15. Droa movement Leader Elene Khoshtaria stated that the municipal elections are ‘special elections, which is essentially a referendum,’ noting that the opposition understands its responsibility before the Georgian population to propose the choice which will ‘give them [Georgian citizens] faith.’
Tsotne Koberidze from the Girchi-More Freedom political party will be a joint candidate for vice Tbilisi Mayor of four political parties in the October 2 municipal elections. The United National Movement opposition party, European Georgia, Girchi-More Freedom and Elene Khoshtaria’s Droa political movement had agreed to present joint candidates for Tbilisi mayor, head of Tbilisi City Assembly and Tbilisi vice mayor.
The party Anna Dolidze - For the People has nominated its founder Anna Dolidze as a candidate for Tbilisi mayor in the October 2 municipal elections. Anna Dolidze's slogan for local self-government elections will be ‘A mayor for everyone!'. Dolidze promises the people of Tbilisi that she will be the mayor for the people, regardless of their political views, social origin, nationality or ethnicity, and gender.
Four opposition parties, the United National Movement (UNM), Droa, Girchi-More Freedom and European Georgia have presented joint majoritarian candidates for Tbilisi City Assembly ahead of the October 2 municipal elections.
Nigerian businessman Arinze Richard Ogbunuju has been nominated for Tbilisi mayor in the October 2 municipal elections by Our United Georgia initiative group.
Joint opposition candidate for head of Tbilisi City Assembly, founder of the Droa opposition party, Elene Khoshtaria has cast her ballot in today’s municipal elections and said that the country’s fate is in the hands of voters.