Former First Lady of Georgia to Run as UNM Candidate

ZUGDIDI, Georgia - Sandra Roelofs, the former First Lady of Georgia and estranged wife of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, announced that she will run as a parliamentary candidate in Samegrelo region capital Zugdidi for the opposition party United National Movement (UNM).

Roelofs and the UNM leadership arrived in the Samegrelo region and held meetings with voters in Kortskheli and three other villages on Friday.

Roelofs said Georgia “needs new leadership because everything in the country is on hold.”

She called on voters to support the UNM during the upcoming October 8 parliamentary elections.

“We should stop the confrontation and start building our country. Let us elect a new government and continue it the development we need,” Roelofs said.

Roelofs also referenced an incident in May when the members of the UNM were brutally beaten by the supporters of the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) during the May 22 by-elections.

“Kortskheli is a symbol that we should respond to violence with peace,” she stated.

The UNM’s top candidate, David Bakradze, said Roelofs participation in the elections is critical to the party’s success.

“I am sure that a person like Sandra Roelofs will win the elections and will do everything for the better future of the country,” he noted.
Roelofs, 47, was born in the Netherlands. She served as First Lady of Georgia from 2004 to 2013.

She set up breast and cervical cancer screening programs in Georgia, as well as prenatal screening and promoted palliative care and awareness about rare diseases, safety belts and healthy lifestyle.

By Thea Morrison
Edited by Nicholas Waller