Ivanishvili launches his candidate’s presidential election campaign

Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili (left) and candidate for president Giorgi Margvelashvili with supporters in Nokalakevi. (Official photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili opened the Georgian Dream coalition’s election campaign on Monday, in the historical town Nokalakevi.

The event marked the official launch of the coalition’s election campaign and its candidate for president, Giorgi Margvelashvili.

“The stereotype that the president of Georgia is a super human who decides everything instead of us, will be collapsed,” Ivansihvili said.

“We have selected this historical place, where Georgia’s unification began, to start our campaign.”

Ivanishvili said Margvelashvili is ‘an honorable representative of society and is a European leader’, drawing attention to the historical importance of the place; a rhetorical style previously made use of by President Saakashvili.

“We must select a person with European views as president, which will end single-man governance in Georgia,” the PM noted. “People will see that we also can think of democratic principles and about building a state.”

Ivanishvili also said that Margvelashvili will represent everybody and has never before run for an official post.

“He is not member of any party. I am sure he will protect the interests of all. Giorgi will be the president of everyone.”

Giorgi Margvelashvili in his address said that on Election Day, October 27, ‘cohabitation’ ends in Georgia and the country won’t have a president whose goal is to discredit the country, intervene in the courts and make absurd vetoes.

He promised that Georgia will be a politically stable and economically developed country.

The presidential candidate said that the Georgian Dream last year avoided confrontation and now that development will continue.

“The country’s western course won’t change. It will be further strengthened,” he added.

Margvelashvili has not yet registered formally as a candidate with the Central Election Commission, but the deadline is not yet expired. Margvelashvili resigned from his job as education minister, to have more time for campaigning, even though there was no legal requirement for him to resign.