TBILISI, October 3 – With just two days to go before Georgia’s local elections, mayoral candidates in Tbilisi went head-to-head in a fiery televised debate Thursday night that showcased the country’s deep political divides.
The debate, broadcast on the public broadcaster’s Channel 1, brought together nine registered candidates, including incumbent mayor and ruling Georgian Dream candidate Kakha Kaladze, opposition figures Kakhka Kukava and Irakli Kupradze, Green Party candidate Giorgi Gachechiladze, and Girchi’s Iago Khvichia.
Kaladze, a former AC Milan footballer seeking a third term as mayor, came under sharp attack from rivals. Gachechiladze accused him of alienating Western allies by insulting U.S. and EU leaders, warning that Georgia’s visa-free travel to Europe was now under threat. Kaladze fired back, saying that Georgia is a sovereign nation and that only its people have the right to decide who governs.
“We are not attacking anyone,” he said. “We are defending our country’s interests.”
Another clash came when Kukava accused Kupradze, running under the joint Lelo–Gakharia ticket, of being linked to evictions by Mamuka Khazaradze’s TBC Bank, claiming that even a ruling party majoritarian candidate was being forced from his home. Kupradze dismissed the charge as “anecdotal,” but said he would look into it.
The debate also highlighted divisions within the opposition, Rezonansi reports. Girchi’s Khvichia criticized fellow opposition parties for mismanaging past protests over election results, arguing that while irregularities occurred, refusing to recognize the government’s legitimacy was not a serious political strategy.
Sunday’s elections are a major test for Georgian Dream, which has ruled since 2012, and for an opposition that remains fractured. Large parts of the opposition, notably the former ruling UNM party, have cast doubt on the legitimacy of the whole process by actively boycotting the vote. As a result, one third of municipalities are holding elections for mayor with only one candidate, that of the ruling GD.
International observers are in Georgia to monitor the vote, but three of the country’s biggest local watchdog NGOs have announced they will not deploy observers, citing what they call a repressive environment.
