Conservative Party; Party of People and ex-PM Zurab Nogaideli’s Movement for Fair Georgia announced on March 8, that they would select their candidate for Tbilisi mayoral office through public opinion survey.

So far there are two candidates from the group seeking for the nomination – Koba Davitashvili, leader of Party of People and Zviad Dzidziguri, leader of Conservative Party. Movement for Fair Georgia has no plans to nominate its leader, Zurab Nogaideli.

These opposition parties, which are joined by three little-known parties (political union Mamulishvili; Party of Future and Christian Georgian), plan to announce their single candidate at an assembly in the Sport Palace on April 9.

The group of these parties also plans to hold preliminary elections, so called primaries, to select candidates who will run for city council membership.

Zurab Nogaideli said on March 8, that the idea of having a single opposition candidate, nominated by large number opposition parties had failed.

Irakli Alasania, leader of Alliance for Georgia, announced last week about launching of mayoral electoral campaign. 

Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM), a leading party in the parliamentary minority group, nominated ex-chief of state oil company Giorgi Chanturia.

Beer magnate, Gogi Topadze, a co-founder of Industry Will Save Georgia (Industrialists) party, has also announced intention to run for the Tbilisi mayoral office.

There are also several political unknowns running in the polls, including Nika Ivanishvili, who was head of traffic police in late 90s. Ivanishvili founded his political party on March 4. Tamaz Vashadze, who briefly was Tbilisi mayor, 19 years ago, also said he would run.

Davit Iakobidze, who served as Georgia’s finance minister in 90s under former President Shevardnadze’s administration, was nominated as mayoral candidate by MP Gia Tortladze’s Democratic Party of Georgia.

Levan Gachechiladze, leader of public movement Defend Georgia, has yet to announce whether he will run in the elections or support any other candidate.

Incumbent Tbilisi mayor, Gigi Ugulava, is expected to be the ruling party’s candidate; he has yet to be formally nominated.