The opposition For Georgia party, led by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, has presented the front-runners of its electoral list for the October parliamentary elections.
The party, founded in 2021 after Gakharia’s split from the ruling Georgian Dream party, presented a line-up of mostly old and new political faces, including several former and current MPs, former officials, and local councilors from various municipalities.
Gakharia tops the list, while other front-benchers include former government officials who have served under Gakharia during his tenure as interior minister and then prime minister.
The list also includes three former MPs – Dimitri Tskitishvili, Zviad Dzidziguri, and Levan Gogichaishvili – who were all elected on Georgian Dream’s ticket in 2016 but split with the ruling party in 2019. The line-up further features three incumbent MPs who left Georgian Dream’s majority in 2021 to join Gakharia’s For Georgia, as well as MP Teona Akubardia, who was elected on the opposition Strategy Agmashenebeli list but defected in 2022.
Six out of the top twenty candidates are women.
“Let us fight to take this country to a logical path of national and European development with real peace, real dignity, and real prosperity,” Gakharia said at the end of his presentation on September 25, alluding to the Georgian Dream’s campaign slogan “to Europe with peace, dignity, and prosperity.”
Below is the list of the top candidates on the Gakharia – For Georgia party list:
- Giorgi Gakharia, ex-prime minister, founder of For Georgia party
- Natia Mezvrishvili, ex-deputy interior minister, former head of Government Administration
- Dimitri Tskitishvili, former MP (2016-2020)
- Kakhaber Kemoklidze, former head of the office of the National Security Council, former head of Government Administration
- Zviad Dzidziguri, former MP, longtime politician
- Zaza Tavadze, former chairman of Constitutional Court, For Georgia member since 2021.
- Anna Buchukuri, incumbent MP
- Berdia Sichinava, former deputy head of Government Administration, For Georgia executive director
- Roin Kochorashvili, former civil servant, father of Georgian national football team member Giorgi Kochorashvili
- Beka Liluashvili, economist, incumbent MP
- Teona Akubardia, incumbent independent MP
- Levan Gogichaishvili, former MP (2016-2020)
- Giga Parulava, Zugdidi local council chairman
- Gela Abuladze, Tsalenjikha local councilor
- Shalva Kereselidze, incumbent MP
- Tamar Khvedeliani, healthcare professional, head of For Georgia’s women’s organization
- Elguja Khokrishvili, former diplomat, ex-Minister of Environment, ex-Minister of Infrastructure
- Vika Pilpani, head of For Georgia’s youth organization
- Kakha Nuralidze, doctor, medical professional
- Sopo Khorguani, former deputy public defender (2007-2009)
- Jemal Ananidze, financier, former Batumi mayor
- Rusudan Tevzadze, expert, For Georgia political council member since 2021
- Ketevan Bakaradze, former health minister of the Government of Abkhazia Autonomous Republic
- Malkhaz Toria, former governor Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region
- Vato Pachulia, For Georgia member
- Erekle Dumbadze, lawyer, former civil servant
- Salome Kobaladze, Tbilisi local councilor from For Georgia
- Gocha Tkeshelashvili, TV host, educator
- Akaki Gvianidze, Batumi local councillor
On 26 October, Georgians will go to the polls to vote in the country’s first fully proportional elections. For Georgia is the first opposition force to present a part of its party list.
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