As announced on February 22, Irakli Alasania’s party launched consultations with several opposition groups on Tuesday to discuss how to select a single mayoral candidate for Tbilisi mayoral race in the May local elections.

Levan Gachechiladze, leader of public movement Defend Georgia, as well as co-leader of Conservative Party, Kakha Kukava, were participating in the consultations held in the headquarters of Alasania’s party, Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD).

Kakha Kukava told journalists outside OGFD headquarters that consultations were on initial stage yet. He also said that he was sure “this process will be concluded with reaching an agreement on a single candidate.”

Alexi Petriashvili, a senior member of OGFD, told journalists that the consultations were fruitful and interesting and they would continue.

“We have no final results yet, but consultations are ongoing and we will have answers to all the questions in which the society is interested very soon,” Petriashvili said.

He also said that “every political force” should be involved in this process of selecting a single mayoral candidate, thus again putting OGFD at odds with New Rights and Republicans – two parties which formally still remain OGFD’s partners within Alliance for Georgia.

Asked if ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli’s Movement for Fair Georgia could be part of this process, Petriashvili responded: “Not a single political forces should be excluded from this process. Every political force should be given an opportunity to voice its position over selecting of a single mayoral candidate.”

New Rights and Republican parties are strongly against of having any cooperation or ties with the former PM’s party.