Election campaign launched in Georgia: new bloc formed

On June 8, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili approved the president’s decree to schedule the next parliamentary elections in Georgia for Oct 8. This means that the election campaign has officially been launched.

It will be the longest campaign in Georgia’s history. Over 27 parties will fight for 77 out of 150 parliamentary seats. On the same day Adjara is to elect its Supreme Council.

During a press conference, the opposition Alliance of Patriots of Georgia announced its alliance with David Tarkhan Mouravi and Irma Inashvili. This coalition will also involve Kakha Kukava’s Free Georgia, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia’s Freedom, Akaky Asatiani’s Union of Georgian Traditionalists, Gocha Jojua’s New Christian Democrats and Giorgi Berdzenidze’s Movement of Law Enforcement Veterans and Patriots.

We for Georgia party has refused to join the bloc. But the alliance is considering negotiations with other parties, except Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement.

Member of the opposition Democratic Movement - United Georgia, former Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze says that her party will run for the parliament on its own. Recently mass media kept rumoring about possible alliance between Burjanadze and Inashvili as the politicians have similar attitudes and are both accused of being pro-Russian.

According to Georgia’s Electoral Code, all the parties wishing to run for the parliament already have the right to canvass but all of them are forbidden to use administrative resources and to involve high-ranking officials in their campaigns.