Pre-Election Fever in Adigeni District

Otar Lobzhanidze

The pre-election campaign in Adigeni is rather tense. Single mandate MP candidate of the Republic Party complains about the oppression and about local public officials who abuse their power.

There are 4 single mandate MP candidates registered in Adigeni for the parliamentary elections:

Otar Lobzhanidze from the Republic Party of Georgia”;
Anzor Skhirtladze from the United National Movement –Georgia Will Win!
Giorgi Badgoshvili from the Labor Party of Georgia;
Levan Lobzhanidze from election bloc, the United Opposition (National Council, the New Rights);

According to locals main rivals are Anzor Skhirtladze from the ruling party and Otar Lobzhanidze from the Republic Party.

Both of them are inhabitants of Adigeni and both of them came in politics from law enforcement bodies. 

“I was not a member of the Republican Party but I remember how it was established and I know the founders of the party quite well,” states Otar Lobzhanidze.

Lobzhanidze says that after he was nominated as an MP candidate from the Republic Party his relations with relatives deteriorated. “My relatives always loved and respected me but now they perceive me as I am a leprous. They are intimidated. If my relative has ever cut a tree in the forest, he is invited at police stations. They start investigations on the cases where my relatives took least part nearly 5-6 years ago,” says Otar Lobzhanidze.

He also says that can not conduct pre-election campaign properly. “The scheduled meetings with voters cannot be managed. People are intimidated. But inhabitants of the village of Nakurdebi met us very well because they were not warned against meeting us”, Otar Lobzhanidze accuses the government of preventing him from conducting proper pre-election campaign.

“One can not make out what is going on. The National Movement candidate is escorted by local government. The head of the local resource centre attends the meetings where Anzor Skhirtladze is introduced to the teachers at schools,” states Otar Lobzhanidze.

“People must not believe their false promises. The people must vote for wisdom. I am not a road constructor or a water supplier. I will be a mediator between the people and the government,” stated Otar Lobzhanidze, a single mandate MP candidate from the Republican Party in Adigeni Municipality.