Presidential Election Guide

Davit Bakradze, 46, was nominated by the opposition European Georgia party, which split from the United National Movement in early 2017, following months of intra-party dispute. In his election campaign, Bakradze promises to be “an active” president, who will not be instructed by the government, but “who will be with the people, for the people and by the people.” As president, Bakradze promises to increase pensions by GEL 50, care for the socially vulnerable, expand presidential funding for study abroad programs and ensure legal employment for Georgian citizens living abroad. One of his priorities is also to “represent Georgia internationally in a due manner: to protect the country’s security, to de-occupy the country and to attract more investors for creating more jobs.” Bakradze was the Parliament Speaker in 2008-2012. This is the second time he is running for presidency; in 2013, he ran on UNM’s ticket and obtained 21.72% of votes.

Grigol Vashadze, 60, runs on behalf of the Strength in Unity movement, a newly-established political platform of eleven opposition parties led by ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement. In his election campaign, Vashadze promises to set early parliamentary elections and form a new coalition government. He also focuses on reduction of bureaucratic expenses and spending it on social needs, as well as increasing teachers’ salaries to GEL 1000. The candidate also takes a hard-line stance against the cannabis cultivation law, accusing the authorities of wanting to “grab” agricultural lands “by corrupt means” and turning Georgia, “the wine country,” into “a marijuana exporter.” Vashadze served as Georgia’s Foreign Minister in 2008-2012. In the 2017 municipal elections he ran for Kutaisi Mayor and garnered 27.04% of votes.

Shalva Natelashvili, 60, founder and leader of the Labor Party since 1995, is Georgia’s veteran opposition politician. In his election campaign, Natelashvili pledges to put an end to “the rule of oligarchs and drug dealers.” He also promises to be a president of the poor, and vows to abolish visa-free travel with Iran to curb their “demographic expansion.” The candidate also pledges to increase the presence of Georgian security personnel along the occupation line and to declare Sokhumi Georgia’s capital. Natelashvili ran in the presidential polls in 2013, and finished with 2.88% of votes.

Kakha Kukava, 42, presidential candidate of the Free Georgia is a long-standing opposition leader. He is backed by several small socially conservative opposition parties. Kukava criticizes both the GDDG and UNM leaders in his campaign, saying they “represent [two sides of] the same problem,” and calls for ending their “cohabitation.” The candidate capitalizes on the conservative sentiments, pledging to curb the immigration from Muslim countries. He also promises to increase social allowances for large families, to declare pawn shops illegal, and to work on “opening Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian markets” for Georgian alcoholic beverages. Kukava ran for Tbilisi Mayor in 2017 and obtained 1.25% of votes.

Davit Usupashvili, 50, leader of opposition the Development Movement runs on the Free Democrats ticket, a liberal political party and a former junior member of the Georgian Dream coalition. In his election campaign, Usupashvili criticizes both the authorities and the United National Movement, calling for ending the “Misha-Bidzina” confrontation. He insists “the Georgian Dream has to be changed, but the return of what was under the rule of the UNM is not acceptable.” Usupashvili led the Republican Party in 2005-2013. He was the Parliament Speaker in 2012-2016 as one of the leaders of the Georgian Dream coalition. In 2017, Usupashvili set up a new political movement and contested in the 2017 municipal elections, where he garnered 0.76% of nationwide votes.

Zurab Japaridze, 42, leads the New Political Center-Girchi (pine cone), a libertarian political party. The party was launched after Japaridze quit the UNM in 2015. In his election campaign, the candidate promises “to spend the next six years fighting for right policies and more freedom.” Girchi, which is trying to target young voters, is known for its witty, at times controversial, video clips, distributed through its social media platforms including in election campaign. Japaridze claims Girchi “is a party of people who never refrain from criticizing everyone, who criticize every center of political power, be it the Church, banks, the government and the opposition.” They also position as a pro-Western, socially liberal and fiscally conservative party, and stand in the forefront of a campaign for liberalisation of drug policy.

Salome Zurabishvili, 66, the country’s Foreign Minister in 2004-2005, is endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party. As president, Zurabishvili promises to be a mediator between the state and the people, saying: “the new president has to be an idea-generator, rather than a veto-generator.” The candidate pledges to prioritize the issues of the disabled, elderly care and social housing. She also claims she will work for addressing the “growing” rates of gender violence, promote the return of emigrants and setting of temporary worker quotas for Georgian migrants. The candidate vows to protect “the Abkhaz language and identity, and the country’s territorial integrity.” At her campaign meetings, the candidate is accompanied by the ruling party leaders, with Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze emerging as her leading supporters. She tops the list of presidential candidates in terms of the amount of campaign donations. Zurabishvili’s campaign has been marred by public outcries over her controversial Russo-Georgian war-related remarks.