Bidzina Ivanishvili-led opposition coalition, Georgian Dream, will mark the launch of its election campaign with a large-scale rally later next month, the coalition said in a brief statement on April 27.

“The political coalition, Georgian Dream, launches election campaign and will hold a large-scale rally on May 26-27,” it said.

These tentative dates for the event coincide with Georgia’s Independence Day, marked on May 26.

The coalition said that the rally would be held either on the Mikheil Meskhi football stadium, which has the capacity of over 25,000 seats, or on the Boris Paichadze National Stadium, which has the capacity of about 55,000. The Georgian Dream said that it had already notified about its intention to the Tbilisi municipality and administrations of the two stadiums in Tbilisi.

“We will notify [the public] about final decision on exact date and venue in next few days,” the Georgian Dream said.

Earlier on April 27 Tina Khidasheli of the Republican Party, which is part of the Georgian Dream coalition, said that the group would “definitely” hold rallies as part of its electoral campaign. She said “phobias” about outdoor rallies were incomprehensible, adding that rallies were a normal part of any election campaign.