The News in Brief
Tuesday, October 9
By-elections to be held next October
By-elections will be held in three constituencies, which will be left without single-mandate MPs after the winning candidates have been nominated by Bidzina Ivanishvili today. These candidates are Archil Kbilashvili from Baghdati constituency, who has been nominated the prosecutor general; Kakha Kaladze, single-mandate MP from the Samtredia constituency, who has been nominated the minister of regional development and infrastructure and Tea Tsulukiani, Nadzaladevi single-mandate MP, who will assume the office of the justice minister soon.
According to Georgian legislation, when the single-mandate MPs are lifted, the by-pass elections should fill in the vacant seat at the parliament. Press speaker of the central election commission Eka Azarashvili has said that the by-elections will be held in October 2013. However, the winner candidates say they will work to protect the interests of their voters and support the candidates, to whom the voters will declare trust.
(Rustavi 2)
Mikheil Saakashvili will try to maintain his grip on power - Vladimir Putin
Georgia’s President, Mikheil Saakashvili, whose ruling UNM party was soundly defeated in parliamentary elections on October 1, will try to maintain his grip on power, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, RIA Novosti reports. “Saakashvili will try to cling to power,” Putin said in an interview on the Central Television program broadcast on the NTV television network on Sunday. “I think he will try to offset defeat in the party lists with the single-mandate constituencies,” Putin said.
(IPN)
United National Movement reports facts of pressure from Georgian Dream
A special briefing was held at the head office of the United National Movement, where the outgoing minister of health care and the majoritarian MP candidate from the UNM reported specific facts of pressure and intimidation on their members and activists in the town of Gurjaani. Zurab Tchiaberashvili and Giorgi Ghviniashvili named their activists, who were subjected to intimidation on revenge and physical abuse from a member of the Georgian Dream coalition, Joni Osiashvili. They said the telephone number of this person was available for their activists and they will demand adequate measures be carried out against him.
The members of the United National Movement call on the Georgian Dream to quit pressure on their members and activists.
(Rustavi 2)
Inga Grigolia to leave Tbilisi City Assembly
Inga Grigolia is leaving Tbilisi City Assembly. Grigolia will address the chairman of the City Assembly, Zaal Samadashvili. “I will say goodbye to politics forever. Nobody will see me in any party again’, Grigolia told Rustavi 2 TV. Inga Grigolia is going back to journalism.
(IPN)
Kutaisi mayor elected amid noisy argument at city assembly
Kutaisi’s self-government has elected a new mayor - Beso Bregadze. However, the session of the city assembly, where the candidacy was voted on, went on over heated arguments among its members. Former members of the New Rights party and the majoritarian MP candidate Mamuka Mghvdeladze objected to the decision of the assembly chairperson and his protest was answered with verbal insults. Finally, Bregadze became the mayor with the majority of votes of the city assembly. Member of the assembly from the Christian Democratic Movement has also objected to the candidacy of a new mayor and walked out of the session.
(Rustavi 2)
By-elections will be held in three constituencies, which will be left without single-mandate MPs after the winning candidates have been nominated by Bidzina Ivanishvili today. These candidates are Archil Kbilashvili from Baghdati constituency, who has been nominated the prosecutor general; Kakha Kaladze, single-mandate MP from the Samtredia constituency, who has been nominated the minister of regional development and infrastructure and Tea Tsulukiani, Nadzaladevi single-mandate MP, who will assume the office of the justice minister soon.
According to Georgian legislation, when the single-mandate MPs are lifted, the by-pass elections should fill in the vacant seat at the parliament. Press speaker of the central election commission Eka Azarashvili has said that the by-elections will be held in October 2013. However, the winner candidates say they will work to protect the interests of their voters and support the candidates, to whom the voters will declare trust.
(Rustavi 2)
Mikheil Saakashvili will try to maintain his grip on power - Vladimir Putin
Georgia’s President, Mikheil Saakashvili, whose ruling UNM party was soundly defeated in parliamentary elections on October 1, will try to maintain his grip on power, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, RIA Novosti reports. “Saakashvili will try to cling to power,” Putin said in an interview on the Central Television program broadcast on the NTV television network on Sunday. “I think he will try to offset defeat in the party lists with the single-mandate constituencies,” Putin said.
(IPN)
United National Movement reports facts of pressure from Georgian Dream
A special briefing was held at the head office of the United National Movement, where the outgoing minister of health care and the majoritarian MP candidate from the UNM reported specific facts of pressure and intimidation on their members and activists in the town of Gurjaani. Zurab Tchiaberashvili and Giorgi Ghviniashvili named their activists, who were subjected to intimidation on revenge and physical abuse from a member of the Georgian Dream coalition, Joni Osiashvili. They said the telephone number of this person was available for their activists and they will demand adequate measures be carried out against him.
The members of the United National Movement call on the Georgian Dream to quit pressure on their members and activists.
(Rustavi 2)
Inga Grigolia to leave Tbilisi City Assembly
Inga Grigolia is leaving Tbilisi City Assembly. Grigolia will address the chairman of the City Assembly, Zaal Samadashvili. “I will say goodbye to politics forever. Nobody will see me in any party again’, Grigolia told Rustavi 2 TV. Inga Grigolia is going back to journalism.
(IPN)
Kutaisi mayor elected amid noisy argument at city assembly
Kutaisi’s self-government has elected a new mayor - Beso Bregadze. However, the session of the city assembly, where the candidacy was voted on, went on over heated arguments among its members. Former members of the New Rights party and the majoritarian MP candidate Mamuka Mghvdeladze objected to the decision of the assembly chairperson and his protest was answered with verbal insults. Finally, Bregadze became the mayor with the majority of votes of the city assembly. Member of the assembly from the Christian Democratic Movement has also objected to the candidacy of a new mayor and walked out of the session.
(Rustavi 2)