Simultaneously with May 30 local elections, in three single-mandate constituencies voters will also elect lawmakers to fill three vacant seats in the Parliament.

MP by-elections will be held in Tbilisi’s Chugureti single-mandate, majoritarian constituency, as well as in two provincial constituencies of Ozurgeti western Georgia and Gurjaani in eastern region of Kakheti.

Deadline for submitting candidates expired on April 30. These by-elections for three parliamentary seats will not influence to the current power balance in the parliament, dominated by the ruling party.

Five candidates will be contesting a majoritarian seat in the Tbilisi’s Chugureti constituency – Andro Alavidze, nominated by the ruling National Movement party; Kakha Basilaia of Christian-Democratic Movement; Levan Roinishvili of Movement for Fair Georgia, led by ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli and Lana Galdava, nominated by MP Gia Tortladze’s Democratic Party of Georgia and Giorgi Gachechiladze, nominated by newly established party, which is led by Tbilisi mayoral candidate Nika Ivanishvili.

MP Tortladze’s party has also nominated its candidates in two other constituencies – Maia Orjonikidze in Ozurgeti and Levan Cholokashvili in Gurjaani; both of the candidates are fierce critics of the non-parliamentary opposition and both of them have featured for number of times in TV political talk shows and programs, defending the authorities’ various policies.

Other candidates nominated in Gurjaani are: Giorgi Chiviashvili of the ruling National Movement party; Zaza Natsvlishvili of Movement for Fair Georgia and Levan Koberidze of Party of Future.

Two other candidates are also running in Ozurgeti district, apart of the one nominated by MP Tortladze’s party: Gocha Shanidze of the ruling party and Ilia Kalandadze of Movement for Fair Georgia.

Three majoritarian seats in the Parliament became vacant after ex-MP from Chugureti constituency Lasha Zhvania was appointed as Economy Minister in December, 2008 (he was dismissed from the post in August, 2009); former lawmaker from the Gurjaani single-mandate constituency, Giorgi Gviniashvili, was appointed as governor of Kakheti region and Anzor Erkomaishvili, a former lawmaker from the Ozurgeti single-mandate constituency, quit the Parliament.