Acting mayor Kaladze urges Georgian citizens to vote in runoffs, ‘put an end to UNM’
Kakha Kaladze will compete with the UNM head Nika Melia in the municipal run-offs in Tbilisi which will take place in two weeks. Photo: Screenshot from video address.
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Ruling party mayoral candidate and incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze has called on all Georgian citizens to participate in the municipal election run-offs on October 30 and ‘to put an end’ to the opposition party United National Movement (UNM).
Kaladze stated that the UNM embodies ‘Bolshevism, evil, hatred and lies.’
- Incumbent Tbilisi mayor Kaladze ‘sorry’ for need for runoff, says he is ‘sure’ he will win next vote
Tbilisi and Georgia do not need revenge and chaos – they need progress and peace. I believe that progress and stability will prevail over revenge and chaos on October 30,” Kaladze said.
He also stated that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s victory ‘should be seen through to the end,’ underlying the importance of every citizen’s participation in the elections.
Based on the final results of the October 2 local self-government race the GD received 46.74% of the vote and won the majority of mayoral constituencies while the UNM received 30.68% and ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party gathered 7.79% of the vote.
Mayoral election run-offs will be held in 20 of 64 constituencies of Georgia, including the five largest cities: Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Batumi and Poti, as none of the candidates received at least 51% of the vote.
In 17 of the 20 election constituencies, the candidates of the GD and the UNM opposition will compete. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Kaladze, who expected victory in the first round of the elections, has stated that his election campaign was ‘European-style and future-oriented, unlike that of his opponents.’
Unfortunately, the public has not heard a single valuable suggestion from my opponent concerning the development of Tbilisi. Instead, their entire campaign was aimed at overthrowing the government, stirring up unrest, and the so-called referendum,” stated Kaladze.
He also noted that the ruling party offers ‘the most sophisticated and well-thought-out city development plan to the residents of Tbilisi.’
Kakha Kaladze will compete with the UNM head Nika Melia in the municipal run-offs in Tbilisi which will take place in two weeks.
The municipal elections were held in Georgia per a mixed electoral system. Voters had to fill three ballot papers: the first ballot paper is for mayoral candidates (which are elected per a 50%+1 system). The winner is the candidate who will receive at least 50%+1 of the vote, otherwise, the second round of elections will be held).
The second ballot paper was for majoritarian candidates in city assemblies – winners must receive more than 40 per cent of the vote in the first round of elections to win the race, otherwise, the second round of elections will be held).
The third ballot paper was for parties, who needed at least 2.5% of the vote to receive seats in the Tbilisi City Assembly and 3% in other city assemblies across the country.
According to recent changes to the electoral code, 40 members in the 50-member Tbilisi City Assembly are elected per the proportional electoral system, while the remaining 10 per the majoritarian electoral system (previously the share stood at 25/25).
According to the final results of the first round in the race, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party received 46.74 per cent of the vote, the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party received 30.68 per cent of the vote while ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party garnered 7.79 per cent of the vote.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that the GD won the so-called referendum announced by ‘the radical opposition’ with 66 per cent of seats in city councils (Sakrebulo) nationwide. Kobakhidze said that the ruling party counts on increasing the figure to 68 per cent after the runoff.
Incumbent Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze says that he expected victory in the first round of yesterday’s municipal elections, but says he is sure he will be victorious in the second round.
A second round of municipal elections in Georgia will be held on October 30 as some candidates did not receive enough votes to overcome the mandatory threshold, including in Tbilisi, based on the preliminary results of the Central Election Commission (CEC).
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy says that Tbilisi City Hall’s new project to provide medication vouchers to socially vulnerable pensioners carries the risk of manipulating voter choice. The organisation’s executive director Nino Dolidze points out that the acting Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced the initiative ten days before run-off elections. Therefore, the decision might be ‘motivated by elections’
Political movement Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria and leader of the opposition Lelo for Georgia party Mamuka Khazaradze have signed a coalition cooperation document earlier today ahead of municipal election run-offs slated for October 30.
Opposition United National Movement chair Nika Melia, who is also a mayoral candidate in Tbilisi, has named Lelo for Georgia party leader Mamuka Khazaradze as a candidate for deputy mayor’s position. Melia, who introduced the program of the opposition coalition said Khazaradze is the person whose support strengthens him.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili says that the nomination of a shadow cabinet for Tbilisi by United National Movement (UNM) opposition party head and the party’s Tbilisi mayoral candidate, Nika Melia, ‘is another lie and an attempt to mislead the public.’ Melia stated yesterday that after he wins the mayoral run-off on October 30, his deputies will be Lelo opposition party founder Mamuka Khazaradze, Girchi-More Freedom party head Zurab Japaridze, Droa leader Elene Khoshtaria, and opposition member Irakli Abesadze.
Election polls commissioned by the opposition-oriented TV channel Mtavari Arkhi says that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) mayoral candidate and incumbent Kakha Kaladze will receive 51.6%, while Nika Melia from the United National Movement (UNM) will get 48.4% in municipal election run-offs in Tbilisi on October 30.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has met with a delegation of MEPs ahead of the October 30 self-government election run-offs and spoken of the Georgian government’s determination to hold the second round of elections in a free and fair environment.