Day: September 26, 2024
The opposition platform Coalition for Change has unveiled the frontrunners of its electoral list for the October parliamentary elections.
The list is headed by Nana Malashkhia, a civil servant known for her iconic photo holding the EU flag against a water cannon during the March 2023 protests against the Foreign Agents Law. Malashkhia joined the Coalition on September 23.
“It is a great honor for me to participate in this fight with this team and to be the number one of this team that will bring changes, those fundamental and systemic changes that are necessary for the development of the country,” Malashkhia said in a video address. “This is a fight for the independence of the country and for the fundamental changes necessary to join the European Union. I am sure that Georgia will win on October 26,” she added.
Three coalition leaders —Nika Melia of Ahali, Zurab Japaridze of Girchi-More Freedom, and Elene Khoshtaria of Droa—are on the list. Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of the Ahali party and a key figure in the Coalition, declined to run for parliament, pledging to “make way for new people.”
The list also includes Khatuna Samnidze, the leader of the Republican Party, which joined the coalition in August.
Of the top 20 candidates, only two—Elene Khoshtaria and Giga Lemonjava—are from the Droa party. Three—Zurab Japaridze, Tsotne Koberidze, and Boris (Chele) Kurua—are from Girchi-More Freedom, while eleven are from the Ahali party.
Of the top 20, eight are women.
Below is the list of the top 20 MP candidates of the Coalition for Change:
- Nana Malashkhia, civil servant, popular “woman with the EU flag”
- Nika Melia, co-founder and co-chair of the Ahali party, former Chair of the UNM
- Zurab Girchi Japaridze, leader of the Girchi-More Freedom party
- Giga Lemonjava, General Secretary of the Droa Party, პrofessor, International Security Specialist
- Tengiz Tevzadze, member of the Ahali party, Candidate for CEC Chair in 2022, professor at the University of Georgia, Faculty of Law
- Tsotne Koberidze, Tsotne Koberidze, member of Girchi-More Freedom party, member of Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo)
- Giorgi Kirtadze, member of the Ahali party, a former member of UNM, a former independent member of the Supreme Council of Adjara
- Ivane Chkonia, a businessman, one of the founders of the Vote for Europe platform;
- Khatuna Samnidze, leader of the Republican party
- Oktai Kazumovi, leader of the organization Activists for Future, philologist, TV presenter and translator
- Maia Kopaleishvili, member of the Ahali party, lawyer, former Constitutional Court judge, represented the interests of President Salome Zurabishvili in the impeachment case before the Constitutional Court.
- Boris Kurua, member of the Girchi-More Freedom party, lawyer
- Ana Gogoladze, member of the Ahali party, former member of UNM and Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo)
- Giorgi Butikashvili, Member of the Ahali party, Researcher at Tbilisi State University and Texas University program
- Giorgi Imedashvili, Chair of the Ahali Political Council, International relations and Middle East specialist
- Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Droa party
- Sopo Goletiani, member of the Ahali Party, sales trainer, doctor of business administration
- Marika Arevadze, member of the Ahali party, lawyer, lecturer
- Ani Kavtaradze, member of the Ahali party, doctor, founder of the International Association of Georgian Doctors
- Tornike Bikashvili, member of the Ahali party, legal scholar
Today, September 26, is the deadline for the political parties to submit their MP candidate lists to the Central Election Commission. On October 26, Georgians will go to the polls to vote in fully proportional elections.
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The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) should establish clear criteria for Azerbaijan’s delegation to meet before being readmitted to the assembly, according to a joint statement issued by Human Rights Watch and ten other human rights organizations on September 25.
The statement calls on the Council of Europe to implement defined standards that Azerbaijan must adhere to. It follows PACE’s January 2024 decision not to ratify the credentials of Azerbaijan’s parliamentary delegation. Since then, the statement claims, the Azerbaijani government has intensified its crackdown on human rights defenders, lawyers, independent journalists, opposition politicians, and civil society activists. The statement also alleges that authorities have filed serious criminal charges against independent media and civil society groups, with widespread reports of torture and ill-treatment in custody.
The joint statement also highlights concerns about Azerbaijan’s early parliamentary elections, which, according to the signatories, were conducted in a restrictive, non-competitive environment that failed to meet international democratic standards.
Given these developments, the statement urges PACE to insist that Azerbaijan meet its human rights obligations as a condition for restoring the country’s parliamentary delegation in 2025. The document further calls for the immediate and unconditional release of individuals who have been unjustly imprisoned, the restoration of their civil and political rights, and an end to the repression of dissenting voices. It also emphasizes the need for Azerbaijan to fully cooperate with PACE rapporteurs and the Committee Against Torture, and to implement the Committee’s recommendations to prevent torture and ill-treatment.
Additionally, the signatories express concern about the involvement of European Union countries in COP29, held in Baku, amidst ongoing repression in the country.
The statement was signed by a coalition of organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), and others involved in the campaign to support Azerbaijani rights activist Anar Mammadli.
Azerbaijan’s delegation suspended cooperation with PACE on January 24, 2024, following the assembly’s decision to limit the country’s participation. Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, and its relationship with the organization dates back to 1992 when it first applied for special guest status.
The post Rights organizations demand accountability before Azerbaijan rejoins PACE appeared first on MEYDAN.TV.
The ruling Georgian Dream party unveiled its full list of 170 MP candidates for the upcoming October elections, although the Georgian parliament has 150 seats.
The leader of the parliamentary majority, Mamuka Mdinaradze, clarified to journalists that the ruling party has “objective expectations” of obtaining a constitutional majority, “exceeding 100 mandates by even a few dozen MPs.” they decided to expand the list because “some people leave” before assuming the mandates.
GD’s first 20 frontrunners were presented two weeks ago. Bidzina Ivanishvili, the party’s founder and honorary chairman, has been topping the ticket list for the first time since 2012.
The full list does not include several familiar GD faces, including Archil Talakvadze, the former Speaker of Parliament who was second on the 2020 list; Levan Kobiashvili, the head of the National Football Federation; Eliso Bolkvadze, a well-known pianist; and Beka Odisharia, who became notorious for his obscene remarks about female opposition MPs.
“There are consultations with Talakvadze on a very serious issue about which I have no right to speak until an agreement is reached,” Mdinaradze said. He said that some GD members are being considered for government, and Talakvadze could be one of them.
Several visible incumbent MPs for GD have dropped out of the top 50. Among them are Nino Tsilosani, Deputy Speaker of Parliament she is currently ranked 61; Irakli Zarkua, known for his vulgar anti-Western statements, is 72th; Mariam Lashkhi, who famously previously compared the “Global War Party” to Freemasons, is 59the; Aluda Ghudushauri at 70; Givi Mikanadze at 73, Viktor Japaridze at 55.
GD’s list also prominently features the members of its virulently anti-Western and conspirationist spin-off, People’s Power. Their top-rated MP, Sozar Subari, is 11th on the list, and the worst-rated, Victor Japaridze, is 55th.
Today, September 26, is the deadline for parties to submit their lists of parliamentary candidates. On October 26, Georgia will hold its first fully proportional parliamentary elections.
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