Ruling party Mayoral candidate Kaladze vows to accept election results, rules out opposition’s chances

Ruling party candidate for Tbilisi mayor, Kakha Kaladze, has pledged to respect the outcome of Georgia’s upcoming local elections Saturday, saying that the people’s choice is “supreme.”

Speaking during televised debates between mayoral candidates on the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Kaladze said “of course, we will recognise the results of the elections. The true masters of this city and this country are the Georgian people, and their choice is paramount. Those who fail to see and respect the will of the people are the political forces we see today in decline.”

Kaladze, who represents the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party, also dismissed the chances of success for opposition candidates, arguing that “the era of radicalism in Georgian politics is over.”

“Let’s look at reality. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we all know these political groups have no chance of success. Some opposition forces threaten to overthrow the government and bring chaos, while others openly state they would paralyse municipal services if elected. Georgian politics has moved past radicalism - no political party will succeed through extremism or malice,” Kaladze said.

He further accused certain opposition groups of acting as “agents” financed from abroad, seeking to deepen polarization and division in Georgian society. According to him, such forces “have no future, politically or otherwise.”