Election banner of opposition’s candidate for Poti mayor Ugulava damaged
Gigi Ugulava has posted the image of his damaged banner. Photo: Gigi Ugulava’s Facebook page.
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The election banner of the united opposition’s joint candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, has been damaged in Poti, Ugulava announced on Facebook.
He stated that surveillance cameras are nearby and urged the country’s Interior Ministry to look into the issue.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) candidate for Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze has stated that he ‘strongly condemns’ the incident and has called upon all political parties and their supporters to respect one another.
He said that his banner had also been damaged earlier which is ‘regrettable.’
Municipal elections are scheduled in Georgia for October 2.
The united opposition candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi mayor Gigi Ugulava, has received a document from the Georgian Interior Ministry allowing him to register for the upcoming October 2 municipal race. He stated two days ago that he could not get a document confirming that he is not a convicted sexual or narcotics felon from the ministry and noted that it was a ‘deliberate campaign’ against him.
The candidate for Poti mayor, former Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, says that the country’s Interior Ministry has not given him a document necessary to register for the race, which confirms that he is not a convicted felon for sexual or narcotics crimes.
The united opposition, which currently includes the United National Movement (UNM), European Georgia, Droa and Girchi-More Freedom opposition parties, ‘are very likely’ to nominate former Tbilisi mayor under the UNM Gigi Ugulava for mayor of Poti in western Georgia in the October 2 municipal race, UNM head Nika Melia stated earlier today.
The European Georgia opposition party leader David Bakradze has stated that opposition parties are suspending the dialogue with the ruling Georgia Dream party on 2020 election issue after the sentencing of European Georgia opposition party leader Gigi Ugulava to three years and two months in prison by the Georgian Supreme Court yesterday.
Businessman Mikheil Gabriadze has told Rustavi 2 TV that he and his friends stand behind ‘bloody’ billboards depicting opposition politicians. Claiming that he does not belong to any political party, Gabriadze said the former ruling party – United National Movement – which is now the largest opposition party, should not return to power.
Political movement Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria, who is the united opposition’s joint candidate for the City Council (Sakrebulo) chair in the upcoming local elections, has filed a complaint in the Central Election Commission (CEC) over billboards which portray opposition politicians as ‘bloody.’ The billboards feature opposition political leaders, including former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia who resigned earlier this year and the media managers of two opposition-minded TV channels Nika Gvaramia and Nodar Meladze from Mtavari Arkhi and TV Pirveli which reads: ‘No to Natsis (referring to the largest opposition United National Movement (UNM) party), No to evil, No to betrayal.’
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of Georgia has called on advertising company ALMA to restore Covid-19 vaccination banners which were replaced by anti-opposition political billboards on September 17. The NCDC states that the advertising company did not notify the body regarding the change of the banners, noting that the replacement of their banners ‘was possible only with the prior agreement of the parties.’
A total of 27 criminal cases related to the pre-election period of the October 2 municipal elections are under investigation in Georgia, the Interior Ministry has reported today.