Georgia prepares for elections: ruling party aims for complete success

Local government elections in Georgia will be held in a competitive environment, and the task of the ruling Georgian Dream team is to win in all municipalities, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said.

Local government elections, in which mayors and deputies of local consultative bodies (sakrebulo) will be elected, will be held in Georgia on October 4, 2025. The election campaign started on August 5. A total of 17 parties will participate in the elections.

“You can see that the local government elections will be held in a competitive environment. Several relatively large opposition parties have registered to participate in the elections. There are also some relatively small parties,” Kobakhidze said.

According to the head of the Georgian government, the ruling team is fully focused on its electoral tasks.

“We have a single goal and task – to win the mayoral and sakrebulo elections in all 64 municipalities. You can see the range and their positions! We are absolutely confident that we will win the mayoral and sakrebulo elections in all 64 municipalities,” the prime minister said.

As for Tbilisi, Kobakhidze is confident that the ruling party's mayoral candidate, Kakha Kaladze, will be able to win an impressive victory and gain at least 60% of the vote compared to his opposition rivals.

“The opposition has absolutely no chance. In the case of Tbilisi, our task is to win the election in the first round, and I believe that, given all the circumstances, this is absolutely realistic,” Kobakhidze emphasized.

In turn, Kaladze noted that in recent years, many successful projects have been implemented in various areas. However, according to him, there are still unresolved problems and challenges in the city that require attention.

He emphasized that the team has ambitious plans and a clear vision for the further development of the city.

“As for the opposition, I am not personally interested in this, and it does not matter to me who will be represented on their side. We only talk to the people and discuss how to solve existing problems and respond to challenges. As for the opposition and their plans, this is not within my sphere of interest,” Kaladze said.

Elections in Georgia

Local government elections are the largest elections in the country, when residents of all cities and districts elect their local leadership.

The threshold for proportional elections to all district advisory bodies (sakrebulo) is 4%. To win the mayoral election, a candidate must receive more than half of the votes cast.

Local elections differ from parliamentary elections in that the results are calculated separately for each district and may vary from district to district.

The upcoming elections will take place against the backdrop of a boycott by some opposition parties. To date, Freedom Square, For the People, European Georgia, United National Movement, Agmashenebeli Strategy, Akhali, Girchi – More Freedom, Droa, and Federalists have refused to participate in the elections.

Most of the parties that have refused to participate say they do not intend to “play the games of the authorities,” whom they call illegitimate, as they have not yet recognized the results of the parliamentary elections.

Reprinted from https://sputnik-georgia.ru/