The ruling Georgian Dream party has announced the first twenty candidates on its party list for the upcoming October elections. The list includes the party’s founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, as well as incumbent MPs, government officials, and even Olympic champions.
This is the first time that Ivanishvili will be appearing on the proportional list, followed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Other top candidates include GD Chairman Irakli Garibashvili, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and GD Majority Leader Mamuka Mdinaradze.
Out of the twenty candidates, only seven were on the top 20 list in the last election. This shows a significant change in the party’s lineup, with a number of fresh faces from business and the arts making the list. However, the list is still male-dominated, with only five female candidates.
Two Olympic champions have also made the list, along with two members of People Power, a hardline offshoot of Georgian Dream. Prime Minister Kobakhidze emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections, calling it a “decisive referendum” for the country’s future.
He urged the public to choose between “war or peace, moral degradation or traditional values, and a dark past or a bright, European future.” The list was presented at an event on September 10.
The top 20 candidates on GD’s party list are as follows: Bidzina Ivanishvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Irakli Garibashvili, Shalva Papuashvili, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Tea Tsulukiani, Lasha Talakhadze, Vakhtang Turnava, Maka Bochorishvili, Geno Petriashvili, Sozar Subari, Mariam Kvrivishvili, Anri Okhanashvili, Nikoloz Samkharadze, Eka Chichinadze, Shota Berekashvili, Levan Makhashvili, Mikheil Kavelashvili, Giorgi Gabunia, and Lika Shartava.
The October elections are crucial for the country’s future, and the ruling party is facing tough competition from opposition parties. It remains to be seen how the public will vote and what changes the new parliament will bring.
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