TBILISI, August 15 – Two of Georgia’s opposition forces – Lelo for Strong Georgia and For Georgia, the party of former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia – have yet to agree on a joint candidate for Tbilisi’s October 4 mayoral election.
A recent meeting between Gakharia and Lelo’s secretary general Irakli Kupradze in Berlin has fueled speculation about behind-the-scenes negotiations, but so far, there are no indications that they have reached agreement.
While party tops hesitate, both parties’ likely contenders, Giorgi Sharashidze for Gakharia’s camp and Lelo leader Aleko Elisashvili, are already out campaigning.
The lack of a joint opposition candidate will likely hand the incumbent, Kakha Kaladze, an easy win.
Ruling GD party members in parliament say the lack of agreement shows the opposition is in disarray, while Lelo insists it will have joint candidates with Gakharia’s team, though Tbilisi was not mentioned explicitly.
Analyst Paata Zakareishvili told Rezonansi that with the largest opposition bloc, the United National Movement, boycotting the vote, multiple candidates could mobilize more voters and deny incumbent mayor Kakha Kaladze an outright first-round win. He suggests a well-known political figure, even Gakharia himself, could still force a competitive second round.
Others, like political commentator Petre Mamradze, believe the two sides are still bargaining over who would stand the best chance against Kaladze without risking a humiliating defeat.
The Tbilisi race could end up with at least four contenders, including the far-right Patriot Alliance’s candidate Zurab Makharadze, backed by the Alt-Info movement, which garnered 2.4% of votes in last October’s parliamentary election.
