Lelo Names Tbilisi Mayoral Candidate

Lelo for Georgia, parliamentary opposition party, has presented Ana Bibilashvili to run for Tbilisi mayoral race and MP Badri Japaridze to fight for Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Assembly) chairmanship in October 2 local elections.

At the presentation, held on August 23 evening at the Rike Park in downtown Tbilisi, 35-year-old Bibilashvili spoke of “dangeorus” construction development in the capital city, ecological and transport issues, air pollution, the destroyed green spaces, and the loss of cultural heritage and jobs. “Most importantly, Tbilisi is losing people.”

Bibilashvili, an architect and urbanist, is less known to wider public both in the capital city and across the nation. She is the co-founder of the Lelo party together with MP Mamuka Khazaradze, MP Badri Japaridze and others.

Also addressing the presentation, MP Mamuka Khazaradze, the party leader said the October 2 local elections gives Georgia the chance to vote for the prospect of snap general election in 2022, a sought after scenario for much of the opposition ever since contested outcome of October 2020 parliamentary polls.

He noted that the snap polls in 2022 could bring Georgia a coalition government. “A European system means exactly a coalition governance, [while] the Russian system means autocracy.”

In this context, MP Khazaradze spoke of EU-mediated April 19 deal, which once envisaged holding snap elections if the ruling Georgian Dream party receives less than 43% of votes in local polls.

But the Georgian Dream in July unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, citing unwillingness of the the United National Movement, its arch-rival to sign the deal. Contrary to the opposition’s expectations, the GD also said it refuses to hold snap parliamentary elections if it fails short of 43% of proportional votes in local polls, once agreed as a compromise outcome with the opposition.

Follow our Gvote21 tag for more updates on the upcoming elections.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)