The Strong Georgia coalition, led by Lelo for Georgia and uniting four political parties, has presented its parliamentary candidates for the October elections. The party list features prominent politicians and an unusually high number of candidates with academic credentials.
The frontrunner is Mamuka Khazaradze, a former businessman and founder of the Lelo for Georgia party. Next is Anna Dolidze, who heads the For People party, followed by another Lelo founder, Badri Japaridze, and Ana Natsvlishvili, a sitting MP from the same party. Fifth on the list is Levan Tsutskiridze, a civic activist who recently turned to politics and founded the Freedom Square movement.
“One thing must be said: we are probably first in the world in terms of the number of professors and PhDs in the party list,” Anna Dolidze joked as she addressed supporters on September 26.
Strong Georgia is positioning itself as a force equidistant from both current and former ruling parties. It brings together four opposition forces, including Lelo for Georgia, For People, led by Anna Dolidze, Citizens led by Aleko Elisashvili; and Freedom Square, led by Levan Tsutskiridze.
The list of top candidates is dominated by members of Lelo for Georgia. Four of the top ten and nine out of the top twenty candidates are women.
On September 25, Strong Georgia also presented Giorgi Margvelashvili, Georgia’s fourth president, as joining the coalition, but Margvelashvili doesn’t appear on the party’s list.
Below is the list of the top 26 MP candidates of the Strong Georgia coalition:
- Mamuka Khazaradze, Lelo for Georgia leader, former businessman
- Anna Dolidze, For People leader, lawyer
- Badri Japaridze, former MP, Lelo for Georgia leader
- Ana Natsvlishvili, incumbent MP, Lelo for Georgia
- Levan Tsutskiridze, Freedom Square leader, former head of the Eastern European Centre for Multiparty Democracy
- Irakli Kupradze, General Secretary of Strong Georgia coalition, Lelo for Georgia
- Ketevan Turazashvili, incumbent MP, Citizens party
- Saba Buadze, Tbilisi city councillor, Lelo for Georgia
- Salome Samadashvili, incumbent MP, Lelo for Georgia
- David Rakviashvili, former secretary of the National Security Council
- Tamar Laliashvili, lawyer, former Supreme Court justice
- Grigol Gegelia, professor, Lelo for Georgia
- Levan Samushia, lawyer, Lelo for Georgia
- Pikria Chikhradze, former MP, Lelo for Georgia
- Giorgi Ushikishvili, folklore musician
- Vakhtang Surguladze, doctor, Tbilisi city councilor, Lelo for Georgia
- Lana Galdava, professor,
- Maka Nutsubidze, lawyer, professor
- Medea Metreveli, philologist, former head of National Book Center
- Aleko Elisashvili, leader of the Citizens Party
- Bakur Kvashilava, political scientist, GIPA dean
- Agil Mustafayev, lawyer, Lelo for Georgia
- Irakli Kobalia, researcher, Freedom Square co-founder
- Irakli Butsinashvili, activist
- Giorgi Rekhviashvili, lawyer, Citizens party
- Oto Parulava, leader of Lelo for Georgia youth organization
On October 26, Georgians will vote in the first-ever fully proportionally held elections. Parties must pass the 5% threshold to secure MP seats.
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