Eenie, Meenie, Miney Mayor
OP-ED
Georgian Dream (GD) is in disarray. Who will be the governmental candidate in the Mayor’s election? Famous Levan Gachechiladze or influential Kakha Kaladze? Levan, aka Grechikha (buckwheat), is protected by Prime Minister Kvirikashvili, while Vice Premier Kaladze is under the wing of the parliamentary beau monde. These circumstances make the choice even harder, though Georgian media insists that all is already decided and the GD elite will not face the necessity of having to make the vital decision anymore. Premier Kvirikashvili is said to be being prepared by outer powers to leave office and will probably be sent for ‘retirement’ by the end of May. It is also said at the State Chancellery that Giorgi Gakharia or Dimitry Kumsishvili will take his position. Therefore, there will be no alternative for the influential Vice Premier Kaladze anymore.
Despite the fact that Mr. Kaladze is uncontested within his own political party, these elections will be nothing like a pleasant walk for him. Quite the opposite, as the voting might even become fatal for the mighty Vice Premier. The political developments suggest that for the first time an independent candidate will substitute one from the United National Movement (UNM) in the upcoming electoral wars. Aleko Elisashvili from the Tbilisi City Assembly is said to be Kaladze’s main rival. Allegedly the Republicans and Free Democrats will raise the candidacy of the former together. Elisashvili confirms that he will take part in the Mayoral elections, however, he does not approve or reject rumors that the said political parties will raise his candidacy. Yet, he does claim to have received offers from some political parties. The UNM is getting ready for the elections and have spread information that they will participate in the elections together with those nine political parties who united to protect Rustavi 2 TV, and that the negotiations in this regards have already begun, with Nika Melia marked for their likely candidate. European Georgia will also raise their own candidate, most likely Irakli Abesadze. Despite the ambitions of both branches of the former government, the will to defeat the Georgian Dream is so strong that it is quite possible that Elisashvili will become the mutual candidate representing the whole oppositional spectrum.
Political experts predict that real chances for winning the Tbilisi Mayoral elections are on the side of an independent candidate because neither the GD nor the UNM have the support of the population anymore. “The local electorate is unsatisfied by the work of both current and previous governments, therefore as these are no longer without alternative, I doubt that the new city Mayor will be a candidate from either of the parties. If Elisashvili raises himself as an independent candidate, more votes for him will be guaranteed,” says expert Gia Khukhashvili, adding that if GD and UNM candidates face each other in these elections, the chances of winning will be much less for the latter.
Analyst Vakhtang Dzabiradze predicts that the elections will be both challenging and extremely important. “GD and its candidate will be the favorite, at least because they own the governmental mechanisms and have good financial resources. Nevertheless, this won’t be enough for them to win the first round of elections,” he says. As such, it is hard to predict whether the government will lose the race or not.
The main problem today is the arrangement of self-governing institutions, as the political and administrative positions are mixed together. Remember Narmania used to say that we should vote for him because he is a good manager? Well, being a good manager proved insufficient; first of all, the Mayor should be a good politician and have the trust of the citizens. As the political leader, he should be able to convince citizens and achieve the priority objectives. Mr. Elisashvili is better in these qualities than Mr. Kaladze, but the question is if these will prove enough for him to win the elections this autumn.
Zaza Jgarkava