Ahead of Run-offs Tbilisi Mayoral Candidate Nika Melia Names shadow coalition cabinet
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Friday, October 22
Nika Melia, the opposition candidate from the United National Movement for October 30 Tbilisi mayoral runoff, presented a shadow cabinet in cooperation with 5 opposition parties, Lelo, Girchi – More Freedom, Droa, European Georgia, and Nino Burjanadze's United Georgia – Democratic Movement.
He nominated Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the Lelo party, and Zurab Japaridze from Girchi, leader of Droa, Elene Khoshtaria, and Irakli Abesadze as candidates for deputy mayors. According to Khazaradze, all professionals who work in the City Hall during the rule of the Georgian Dream will keep their jobs.
According to Melia, the solution to all problems is diversity, whether it is large-scale or small. As he notes, for the first time in history, there will be a coalition team in the local government of Tbilisi
Nika Melia also nominated candidates for the leadership of municipal services. They are from different parties, some of them are non-partisan.
"Nothing like this has happened under this government, the previous government, or even before. If a team came to the City Hall, it came one-party, including the competent, qualified, professionals, but after a certain period, the party interest always took precedence over the public interest, that has been proven by practice,” Melia assessed, saying that this notion has struck the opposition with the clear need for diversity that has existed in Tbilisi for centuries.
At the same time, as he noted, in case of winning the second round, he will resign from the position of the party chairman and remain a regular member of the party.
Before the nomination, the leaders of parties Droa and Lelo signed a memorandum of coalition cooperation. As Khazaradze said before the signing ceremony, this bipartisan union will be a guarantee that the country will be governed in a coalition in the future. Leaders emphasized that their parties’ goals and objectives coincide in many issues and this partnership will be the platform that will guarantee the end of one-party rule and healthy coalition governance.
The parties are planning a joint action for the second round of municipal elections. According to the leader of Lelo, the October 30 elections will be a turning point.
According to Khoshtaria, the way to build a pro-Western, civilized state is through unity and coalition diversity. According to him, a system adapted to one person destroys the country even with good intentions.
Khoshtaria noted the efforts of the National Movement and Nika Melia to form a diverse unity and not to turn the National Movement ‘into just a big, selfish force.’ She emphasized the importance of upcoming runoffs schedules in 20 cities.
