April 17, 2008
Civil Georgia

Magda Anikashvili, a former Imedi TV newscaster, has been nominated by Christian-Democratic Party as a majoritarian MP candidate in the Tbilisi’s Saburtalo single-mandate constituency.

Saburtalo district has turned into one of the most hotly-contested constituencies in Tbilisi with already six majoritarian MP candidates there, including Tina Khidasheli, one of the leaders of Republic Party; Giorgi Meladze, deputy mayor of Tbilisi nominated by the ruling party and Revaz Shavishvili, a former head of the state audit agency, nominated by the nine-party opposition bloc.

Other candidates include lawyer Lia Mukhashavria, nominated by an election bloc uniting Traditionalist (leader Akaki Asatiani), Our Georgia (leader MP Gocha Jojua) and Women’s Party (leader MP Guguli Magradze) and Tamaz Shoshiashvili, nominated by Labor Party.

Stakes are high in Tbilisi in the upcoming elections, as there are ten single-mandate constituencies in the capital out of total 75 throughout the country. Although Tbilisi has gained a status of the opposition stronghold after the January 5 presidential election, competition between various opposition parties in the capital’s single-mandate constituencies, however, increases the ruling party’s chances to endorse its majoritarian MP candidates.

A majoritarian MP candidate winning more than others and more than only 30% of the vote would be declared the outright winner in the first round without the need for a runoff.