paata-burchuladze

(Interpressnews.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Opera star Paata Burchuladze expanded his followership on Thursday as more politicians joined his party, State for People.

The merger with the New Rightists brings in politicians from a party that has a long presence in Georgian politics, but as an outsider force.

Also several politicians who left the National Movement are joining State for People, as well as a traditionalist party called Girchi.

All the former were recently joined in an election bloc called New Choice, which merged with State for People on Thursday.

Burchuladze, who has been an opera singer for most of his life and only recently went into politics, will be leader of this new creation, as well as its number one candidate on the ballot.

A recent opinion poll indicates that Georgian voters are dissatisfied with the two major blocs, Georgian Dream and National Movement, which means that a well-liked but inexperienced candidate like Burchuladze may have a chance to get into parliament in the October 8 election along with some of his followers.

Mamuka Katsitadze, the leader of the New Rightists Party, told DFWatch that they offered Burchuladze’s party to merge three days ago. They began negotiations Thursday morning and finally formed a bloc of four parties. He says the common goals of the new bloc are Euro-Atlantic aspirations and a liberal right-wing ideology.