About Civil.ge
Eng | Geo | Rus
Last updated: 10:55 - 1 May.'18
RSS
Mobile
Twitter
Facebook
Irina Sarishvili
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 21 Dec.'07 / 14:42

Irina Sarishvili, the only female presidential candidate, has been in the Georgian politics since late 80s when joined the National Democratic Party.
 
Sarishvili is running a low-key campaign. Sarishvili said she would not call on voters to cast ballot on her, but instead would mainly call on them not to mark number 5 in the ballot papers, which is Mikheil Saakashvili number in the election ballot.
 
Sarishvili, who will turn 45 in January, graduated the Tbilisi State University’s faculty of English language and literature. She was married to a prominent activist and leader of National Democratic Party, Giorgi Chanturia, who was assassinated in 1994. Sarishvili was slightly injured in that very same attack in downtown Tbilisi. She became the leader of the National Democratic Party after Chanturia’s death. At that time she was a member of the parliament.
 
In 1993 she also held a position of the vice-premier of Georgia for few months. She was re-elected in the parliament in 1995 but her party failed to clear a 7% electoral threshold in the 1999 polls. Ironically, while in the parliament, she was one of the initiators of increasing the threshold from 5 to 7%.
 
In one of her most controversial moves, Sarishvili tried to gain seats in the parliament for her party by allying with then President Shevardnadze’s party ahead of the 2003 elections. The Rose Revolution, however, shattered plans and consequently she was sacked by her fellow party members from the position of the National Democratic Party chairmanship.
 
Sarishvili kept a low profile since then; she, however, attempted a political comeback by establishing a Hope party in 2006, which allied with some other small parties and organizations which were united under the umbrella of ex-security chief Igor Giorgadze’s Justice Party. Giorgadze is wanted by Georgia for alleged terrorist attempt against Eduard Shevardnadze back in 1995. She also became head of the Giorgadze’s charitable organization in Georgia. In September, 2006 dozen of activists and leaders of the grouping were arrested and charged with coup plotting. Recently, Sarishvili announced that she was distancing herself from Giorgadze, citing that the latter was “no longer an active political figure.”
 
Sarishvili is the only presidential candidate advocating for Georgia’s neutrality; all the others are in favor of Georgia’s NATO integration.

RELATED
Latest News
01 May.'18 10:55
We Have Moved to a New Platform
Direct Your Bookmarks to https://civil.ge.
29 Apr.'18 03:54
Ruling Party Candidate Wins MP By-Elections
Givi Chichinadze will represent Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency in the Parliament of Georgia.
28 Apr.'18 09:40
Polls Open for Vani and Khoni MP By-Elections
48,123 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Vani and Khoni single-mandate constituency.
27 Apr.'18 17:23
State Dept’s Europe Affairs Point Man to Visit Tbilisi
Wess Mitchell will meet senior government officials and address the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum.
27 Apr.'18 13:45
In Quotes: Georgian Politicians on Ex-PM Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Comeback
Bidzina Ivanishvili will be approved as the Georgian Dream party chairman at the upcoming convention.
26 Apr.'18 18:15
SG Jens Stoltenberg: Georgia NATO’s ‘Very Close’ Partner
The NATO Secretary General says Foreign Ministers meeting tomorrow will recognize the country’s progress.
26 Apr.'18 14:24
Ex-PM Ivanishvili to Chair Georgian Dream Party
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said Ivanishvili was ‘best equipped’ to add new dynamism to the party.
26 Apr.'18 11:12
Lawmaker Proposes Criminal Liability for ‘Insult of Religious Feelings’
The parliamentary human rights committee decided to set up a working group for scrutinizing the draft law.
25 Apr.'18 17:21
New Abkhaz Government Head Appointed
Gennady Gagulia has served as the Abkhaz “prime minister” twice - in 1995-1997, and 2002-2003.
25 Apr.'18 14:43
Watchdog Improves Georgia’s Press Freedom Ranking
None of the countries of the former Soviet Union (except the Baltics) are ranked ahead of Georgia.

About Civil Georgia
Civil.Ge © 2001-2024, Daily News Online
Registered office: 2 Dolidze Str, 4-th Floor.
17