The Central Elections Commission (CEC) confirmed business magnate Badri Patarkatsishvili and Irina Sarishvili of the Imedi Party as presidential candidates on December 9, raising to six the total number of contenders for the January 5 election.

They join incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili, opposition coalition pick Levan Gachechiladze, New Rights leader Davit Gamkrelidze and Shalva Natelashvili of the Labor Party, all confirmed over the weekend.

At least five other candidates failed to submit enough signatures by the deadline; some will have the opportunity to submit more before the CEC makes its final ruling on candidacies on December 11.

“There were no problems [in the registration process]; signatures were counted, and some candidates were disqualified because they didn’t have enough signatures,” CEC representative Gizo Mchedlidze said.

Patarkatsishvili, the wealthy founder of Imedi TV (which is unconnected to Sarishvili’s Imedi Party), is wanted for questioning on his role in the events of November 7. He has been out of the country since authorities used force to disperse anti-government protests that day. The government claims the state faced a Russian-backed coup, and that Patarkatsishvili was attempting to overthrow the state.

On December 8, the chair of the CEC announced that voter rolls have been compiled. He encouraged voters to verify their registration either online, or by calling a CEC hotline.

There are 3,372,179 registered voters, according to the CEC.