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The 2025 Georgian local elections will be held on October 4th to elect the bodies of local government of Georgia. [1]
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The 2025 Georgian local elections will be held on October 4th to elect the bodies of local government of Georgia. [1]
Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party Mamuka Mdinaradze has announced that the 2025 local elections will be conducted under the same rules as the 2017 elections. According to Mdinaradze, the Georgian Dream-led parliament will adopt the necessary amendments to the Election Code through an accelerated procedure.
The local government elections of 21 October 2017, were held with a 4% threshold. Voters elected officials for a four-year term, including:
For the 2021 local elections, the electoral system was revised, altering the proportion of Sakrebulo members elected under proportional and majoritarian rules. Voters elected 2,068 members of 64 assemblies and 64 mayors, including five mayors of self-governing cities. These changes also led to adjustments in district boundaries and administration. A two-round system was introduced for local majoritarian districts, with a 40% threshold. Additionally, the electoral barrier was lowered to 2.5% in Tbilisi and 3% in other districts. [2]
As of March 2025, none of the four opposition coalitions that crossed the electoral threshold in the 2024 parliamentary elections announced plans to participate in the local elections. They stated that they would only consider participation in the elections if the demands of the 2024–2025 Georgian protests were met, including the holding of snap parliamentary elections and the "release of all political prisoners". [3] However, in May and June 2025 Lelo for Georgia urged the other opposition parties to consider "strategic approach to self-government elections", citing the big chance of winning the capital, Tbilisi, amidst the opposition victory in the capital in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The Lelo described it as a major potential blow to Georgian Dream. [4] [5] Earlier, the For Georgia party also hinted at potential participation in the elections. [6] However, on 30 June, eight opposition parties, Liberty Square, European Georgia, the United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Ahali, Girchi – More Freedom, Droa and Federalists signed a statement announcing the boycott of the local elections. [7] The Strong Georgia officially announced that it would take part in the election on 5 July, [8] while on 14 July it announced an alliance with For Georgia opposition party for joint candidates. [9] In overall, 17 parties were registered for the local elections. [10]
Georgian Dream: "We plan to win both the mayoral and city council elections in all 64 municipalities, and I can say with full confidence and determination that we will win both by a large margin," said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. [11] Rati Ionatamishvili, the chairman of the Parliament's Human Rights Committee, emphasized that the local elections will be crucial for removing the radical opposition. [12] 
Coalition for Change: One of the leaders, Nika Gvaramia, stated that entering the electoral race would mean "either disregarding people's will or being Bidzina's agent", therefore, he expressed hope that no opposition party would take part in the election "by any motive". [13] 
Unity: One of the leaders, Giorgi Vashadze, stated, "Participation in the local elections is excluded for me, for our party, and for the overwhelming majority of those I've spoken to. This year, snap parliamentary elections should be held first, followed by local elections. While we must consider all scenarios, the priority is that parliamentary elections take place first, under new rules and conditions, and then local elections. We are firmly positioned that, given the current situation, participation in the local elections is out of the question." [14] 
Strong Georgia: On 13 March, Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of Strong Georgia, stated that they would not adhere to Georgian Dream's agenda and that their primary focus remained on holding new parliamentary elections. "Only when a proper system and a fair electoral environment are established will it be possible to hold local elections," Japaridze said. [15] Another member, Salome Samadashvili, emphasized, "The issue is not about who will participate in the elections, but whether elections even exist in the country. The West is telling us that the elections have been canceled." [16] However, later Lelo urged the other opposition parties to consider participating in the elections. Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the party, said that the electoral boycotts are generally unsucessfuly, urging others to verify the information through ChatGPT or any other AI. He stated that refusing to take part in the election meant "capitulation". [17] Irakli Kupradze, Secretary General of Lelo, said that the opposition could win in Tbilisi as it already did in the 2024 Georgian parliamentary election, describing it as a major blow to the Georgian Dream. [4] Grigol Gegelia, a prominent member of the party, urged other opposition parties to consider "strategic approach to self-government elections", including a unified discussion on maximizing the impact. [5] On 5 July 2025, Strong Georgia officially announced that they would take part in the local elections. [8] 
For Georgia: One of the members, Teona Akubardia, said, "Ivanishvili's regime's focus on local elections serves to push parliamentary elections off the agenda. We are preparing for new parliamentary elections." [18] However, the leader of the party Giorgi Gakharia did not rule out the possible participation of the party in the election, saying that the party has not yet made its decision. [9] 
Girchi: Girchi has begun preparing for the local elections, as party leaders Aleksandre Rakviashvili and Iago Khvichia announced. [19] 
For the People: On 24 July, Ana Dolidze, the leader of the party, announced that For the People party won't be taking part in the upcoming local elections, noting it would be "unjustified" to lead supporters "into this kind of sacrifice." [20] 
Federalists: The Federalists will not participate in the local elections. According to party leader Tamar Chergoleishvili, the public's demand is for snap elections, and no party will dare to participate under these circumstances. "The crisis currently facing the country was not created by political parties, it was created by the Georgian people, by the protest electorate. Their demand is re-elections, and no political party will dare to participate in the local self-government elections while the demand for re-elections persists. So, no, we are not going to," Chergoleishvili stated. [22] | # | Party/Coalition | Leaders | Ideology | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | GD | Georgian Dream | Irakli Kobakhidze | Conservatism, Populism, Euroscepticism | |
| 9 | SG | Strong Georgia | Mamuka Khazaradze | Liberalism, Pro-Europeanism | |
| 25 | FG | For Georgia | Giorgi Gakharia | Social democracy, Pro-Europeanism | |
| 36 | NPC—G | New Political Center — Girchi | Iago Khvichia | Right-libertarianism | |
| 8 | APG | Alliance of Patriots of Georgia | Davit Tarkhan-Mouravi | National conservatism, Right-wing populism, Neutralism | |
| 3 | CG | Conservatives for Georgia | Giorgi Kardava | National conservatism, Right-wing populism, Russophilia | |
| 12 | GPG | Greens Party of Georgia | Giorgi Gachechiladze | Green politics | |
| 7 | FG | Free Georgia | Kakha Kukava | Conservatism | |
| 4 | UG | Unity of Georgians | Gaioz Mamaladze | Nationalism | |
| 10 | LWA | Left-Wing Alliance | Konstantine Gugushvili | Left-wing nationalism | |
| 1 | HLF | Homeland, Language, Faith | Zaur Khachidze | ||
| 14 | PS | People's State | Marina Kurdadze | ||
| 6 | TW | Third Way | Giorgi Tumanishvili | ||
| 2 | AD | Alliance of Democrats | Giorgi Buchukuri | ||
| 13 | PGUD | Party of Georgian Unity and Development | Kamal Muradkhanov | ||
| 5 | OUG | Our United Georgia | Isaki Giorgadze | ||
| 11 | S | Sakartvelo | Giorgi Liluashvili | ||
On 5 March 2025, Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and the Georgian Dream Secretary-General, stated that the party had already been preparing for the local elections. [25]
On 20 August 2025, Kaladze announced the tram line project to connect Didi Digomi and Didube metro stations, marking a return of tram system to Tbilisi after 35 years. [26]
On 10 March 2025, Alexandre Rakviashvili, one of the leaders of the Girchi party, stated that Girchi had already begun meetings with the electorate since February, with one of such being held in Rustavi. He highlighted the importance of early preparations, underscoring the participation in the local elections as "difficult" and requiring many resources to be able to compete in all 63 municipalities. [27]
On 18 September, the joint opposition candidate Irakli Kupradze met with the Mayor of Brussels Philippe Close. They discussed the future Tbilisi-Brussels partnership, including joint infrastructure and educational projects. Philippe Close expressed full support for the candidacy of Kupradze. [28]
Opera singer Paata Burchuladze proposed protests on 4 October to "take over the government peacefully", predicting a participation of 200 to 300 thousand people and a "technical government" to replace the government of de facto leader Bidzina Ivanishvili. Burchaladze referred to the 2025 Nepalese Gen Z protests and recommended that the Ivanishvili-lead authorities treat the protestors peacefully, to avoid "uncontrolled crowds" carrying out actions similar to those of the Nepalese Gen Z protests. In mid-September, Unity representatives expressed support for the planned protests. Federalists supported the plan to protest but were "cautious" about expectations of results of the protests. GD representatives said that they expected the protests to be violent. [29]
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The 2025 Tbilisi mayoral election (Georgian: თბილისის მერის არჩევნები) will be held on 4 October to elect the Mayor of Tbilisi in parallel to the Tbilisi City Assembly elections.
On March 20, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated in an interview that Kakha Kaladze's candidacy for Tbilisi mayor has no alternative, adding, "We'll see what decision the party will make." [30] However, there were speculations that Georgian Dream might nominate Noshrevan Namoradze, a businessman affiliated with the ruling party, as its candidate. [31] In the end, the party confirmed Kakha Kaladze as its nominee. [32]
On 14 July, Strong Georgia and For Georgia announced an alliance for a joint, non-partisan mayoral candidate. [9] Merab Sepashvili, a renowned pop singer, is speculated as a potential candidate. [33] [34] Aleko Elisashvili, one of the leaders of Strong Georgia, has expressed readiness to run for mayor if there is public support, although he has also denied rumors of his nomination by the alliance. [35] Additionally, Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the For Georgia party, is being considered as a candidate for Tbilisi mayor, with negotiations ongoing between the parties. [36]
Ultimately, the alliance jointly nominated Irakli Kupradze, Secretary General of Lelo for Georgia, as their Tbilisi mayoral candidate. The announcement took place at a ceremony, where Kupradze was formally introduced by Elisashvili. The two parties will contest the October 4 municipal elections under the shared slogan: “Together, let’s take back our cities and villages.” [37]
Alexandre Rakviashvili, one of the leaders of the New Political Center – Girchi, suggested that the party might field a joint candidate with the other opposition parties. [38] Later the party announced that it would select its Tbilisi mayoral candidate through internal primaries. "We are ready to take part in the local elections — for all positions, including holding primaries for the mayoral candidate of Tbilisi," said party leader Vakhtang Megrelishvili. [39] On 26 August 2025, the party nominated Iago Khvichia as its candidate for Tbilisi mayor. [40]
In August, the Conservatives for Georgia announced Zurab Makharadze as its candidate for Tbilisi mayor in the local elections. Makharadze said his campaign will focus on addressing what he calls the country’s most pressing issues, mass migration and a severe demographic crisis. He proposed measures such as granting land plots to large families as part of a program to improve Georgia’s demographic situation. [41]
| N | Sequence number of electoral subject | Electoral subject | Candidate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Green Party | Giorgi Gachechiladze |
| 2 | 7 | Free Georgia | Kakha Kukava |
| 3 | 3 | Conservatives for Georgia | Zurab Makharadze |
| 4 | 9 | Strong Georgia | Irakli Kuprava |
| 5 | 8 | Alliance of Patriots of Georgia | Otar Chitanava |
| 6 | 41 | Georgian Dream | Kakha Kaladze |
| 7 | 11 | Georgia | Giorgi Liluashvili |
| 8 | 1 | Homeland, Language, Faith | Teimuraz Bokelavadze |
| 9 | 36 | Girchi | Iago Khvichia |
| Date | Sample size | Pollster | GD | CfC | U-NM | SG | FG | Girchi | APG | CfG | GLP | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–20 Aug 2025 | 2,300 | GORBI | 65.9 | – | – | 10.4 | 10.7 | 5.1 | 4.2 | – | – | 3.7 | 55.2 |
| 22 Jun–5 Jul 2025 | 2,300 | GORBI | 56.2 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 10.7 | 10 | 3.2 | 1.8 | – | – | 1.1 | 45.5 |
| 17–29 Jun 2025 | 2,000 | ISSA | 35.8 | 18 | 16.6 | 9.5 | 10 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | – | 5.1 | 17.8 |
| 18–30 Jan 2025 | 1,912 | ISSA | 31.5 | 18 | 14.9 | 11 | 9.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | – | 0.8 | 7.1 | 13.5 |
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