Higher Expenses for Upcoming Elections than Expected
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, August 14
More money will be spent on the upcoming presidential elections than expected, head of Georgia’s Central Election Commission Tamar Zhvania stated yesterday.
The money required for the elections will be about 42 million GEL because President Margvelashvili scheduled the election date earlier.
Margvelashvili could set the election date 60 days before the elections, while he announced on August 1 that the elections will be held on October 28.
“If the election date had been announced exactly 60 days before the elections, the money necessary for the elections would have been about 39 million GEL,” Zhvania said.
Zhvania stated that out of the total funds about 1.2 million GEL would be spent on training, and more than nine million GEL will be allocated to cover the expenses of television advertisements for political parties.
The rest of the money will be spent on salaries, ballot papers, election equipment and other necessities.
The presidential candidates must register no later than September 8 at the Central Election Commission.
Georgia will elect the fifth president in October.
Current President Giorgi Margvelashvili has not yet announced about his election plans.
An independent MP, former Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili will run for the presidency. The opposition says Zourabichvili will be supported by the ruling team, which stated that they would not have a presidential candidate for the race.
Grigol Vashadze, also former FM, will present ten opposition parties in the elections, including the United National Movement.
The European Georgia opposition nominated former Parliament Speaker David Bakradze for the elections.
Former Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili will be one of the presidential candidates.
