The opposition Labor Party has nominated four MP candidates to run in the May 21 parliamentary elections in single-mandate constituencies.

Shalva Natelashvili, leader of the Labor Party, will run in his native Dusheti district; Nestan Kirtadze - in Kutaisi; Ioseb Shatberashvili – in Mtskheta; Giorgi Gugava – in Tbilisi’s Gldani district. Speaking at a news conference on March 31, Natelashvili said that the Labor Party would nominate candidates in other single-mandate constituencies in a few days.

The nomination effectively means the Labor Party will not cooperate with other opposition parties in the majoritarian MP elections. Other opposition parties have called for cooperation, acknowledging that the only way to challenge the ruling party was with a single agreed opposition candidate in each of the 75 constituencies.

A majoritarian MP candidate winning more than others and more than 30% of the vote will be declared the outright winner in the first round without the need for a runoff. The ruling party is set to do well in such a system, as a divided opposition vote would allow it to win most of the seats.

Despite the Labor Party nominations, Natelashvili did not rule out cooperation with other opposition parties, but only in single-mandate constituencies where his own party had no candidate. “But it would depend on who is running,” Natelashvili added.

Natelashvili again attacked other opposition parties, saying that instead of accepting his proposal for a cross-party boycott of the upcoming elections, “our political friends [from the opposition] preferred to stay in tents without any result.” He was referring to a 17-day opposition hunger strike, which ended on March 25. The hunger strikers failed to gain a single concession from the authorities on key election rules.