Tbilisi: Municipal elections will be held in Georgia tomorrow. Voters will elect mayors and members of consultative bodies in 64 cities and districts, including Tbilisi, for the next four years.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, 12 political parties and six initiative groups have qualified to participate in these elections. In total, 112 candidates have registered for mayoral positions across Tbilisi and 63 municipalities. There are also 2,228 majoritarian candidates and 5,193 candidates on party lists, while 32 candidates have been nominated by initiative groups. A pertinent question in these elections is the number of ethnic Azerbaijani candidates participating.
Research conducted by APA’s local bureau, using the final list of electoral subjects registered with Georgia’s Central Election Commission as of September 18, reveals that three Azerbaijani candidates are competing for mayoral positions. In addition, 78 are running for majoritarian deputy positions, and 102 are on party lists, totaling 184 ethnic Azerbaijani candidates. However, this number is susceptible to change as some candidates have already withdrawn.
The number of Azerbaijani candidates for majoritarian deputy positions has decreased compared to the last local elections in 2021, when there were 105 candidates. The decline is primarily attributed to the decision of most opposition parties in Georgia to boycott the upcoming elections. In the last local elections, 68 Azerbaijani candidates ran from opposition parties.
Initially, four ethnic Azerbaijanis registered to run for mayor. They include Daur Ismayilov from the ruling Georgian Dream party for Marneuli, Asaf Chiragov and Asad Aliyev from the opposition Lelo – For a Strong Georgia party for Bolnisi and Marneuli respectively, and Ali Badirov from Our United Georgia for Marneuli. Currently, three remain in the race after Chiragov withdrew his candidacy on September 22.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has nominated the largest number of Azerbaijani candidates for majoritarian deputy positions, with 46 candidates primarily from Marneuli, Gardabani, and Dmanisi districts. The Lelo – For a Strong Georgia party follows with 29 candidates, although this number has decreased to 26 due to withdrawals. The For Georgia party and Our United Georgia each have one Azerbaijani candidate, and an initiative group in Tsalka district has nominated another candidate.
Among the Azerbaijani candidates, 21 are women, with four running for majoritarian deputy positions and 17 on party lists. As of now, there are three candidates for mayor, 75 for majoritarian deputy seats, and 102 on party lists, amounting to 180 Azerbaijani candidates in total. This number may further decrease if additional candidates withdraw before election day.
To secure seats in municipal councils, political parties need to receive at least 4% of the vote. Majoritarian candidates must obtain at least 40% of the vote, provided their opponent doesn’t surpass this mark. To be elected mayor, a candidate needs to receive more than 50% of the votes. If no candidate achieves this, a runoff will be held between the two leading candidates.