Presidential elections in Georgia to be held on October 27, 2013

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has appointed the date of the next presidential elections in the country, presidential press secretary Manana Mandzhgaladze said on Monday. “Today, President Saakashvili signed a decree appointing the next presidential polls on October 27, 2013, in the last Sunday of October,” she said. In line with the country’s constitution, Saakashvili cannot run for president at the forthcoming elections, since he has already been elected Georgian president twice, in January 2004 and in January 2008 (at the early elections). Several persons have already announced their presidential bids. One of the contenders is Shalva Natelashvili, 54, the leader of the opposition Labor Party who said he would run for Georgian president as far back as March 28, 2013. On May 14, Georgia’s ruling coalition Georgian Dream nominated Deputy Prime MInister Georgy Margvelashvili, 43, as its candidate for president. On May 20, the public and political forum Georgian National Assembly nominated Nino Burdzhanadze, the leader of the party Democratic Movement - United Georgia and a member of the executive council of the Georgian National Assembly, its candidate. The former ruling party, United National Movement, whose leader is President Mikheil Saakashvili, will nominate its candidate after in-party primaries that started last week to be over by the end of July.