On 1 October, Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) reported that 52 political parties, including 2 election blocs out of the registered 58 political entities submitted their lists of candidates to the CEC. The Georgian Nationalists’ Union, Tribune, Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic Path, Iberians’ Unity, Georgia’s Unity and Development Party and the Georgian Pensioners’ Rights Protection Union did not submit their lists on time and had their election registration abolished.

Speaking at the presentation of the full Georgian Dream (GD) party list, the chairman of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that that Georgia has never had such a long record of stable, peaceful and democratic development since the restoration of independence in 1990s. He added that none of their predecessors have managed 'to avoid unrest, chaos and bloodshed' in the country. Summing up his party’s performance since 2012, Ivanishvili said that during the eight years of his team's governance Georgia has made important steps forward for the eventual membership of the European Union and NATO. He particularly hailed the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) as well as the United States bipartisan ‘Georgia Support Act.’

The Executive Secretary of the GD Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the party expects to receive more than 50% of votes in the upcoming elections, which would allow them to have 30 majoritarian MPs and 70 MPs elected via the party-list. Another member of the GD Anri Okhanashvili stated that the party’s vision and the plan is to apply for EU membership by 2024. 

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister candidate of the “Strength in Unity” opposition bloc Mikheil Saakashvili was deprived of the title of Honorary Doctor of Yerevan University under the initiative of the Armenian Education Minister Arayik Harutyunyan. Saakashvili made a statement, saying that that Nagorno-Karabakh is a sovereign territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He continued by saying that nothing will change this fact and that everyone who has been expelled from the region has the right to return to their homes, and who already live there have the right to live in peace. This infuriated the Armenian authorities as the Nagorno-Karabakh war sill wages on. 

The officials from the European Georgia (EG) opposition party stated that it would not form a coalition with the GD, nor that it would support Saakashvili in the upcoming elections. “The GD plunged the country into the worst economic crisis should end peacefully and politically in this election,” said the leader of the European Georgia Davit Bakradze. “EG will not support Mikheil Saakashvili as a prime minister, because we think and we are sure that the time of one-man and one-party rule is over and the future belongs to coalition rule,” he added. However, he noted that the agreement with the opposition remains in force and European Georgia will support the majoritarian candidates of the United National Movement (UNM) in Tbilisi. 

The Lelo political party, which was founded by co-founders of TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, also presented its party list for the upcoming elections. Beside Khazaradze and Japaridze, the list included former Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili, former parliament secretary Ana Natsvlishvili, former political adviser to former President Giorgi Margvelashvili Pikria Chikhradze, Margelashvili’s former adviser on human rights and justice Kakha Kozhoridze and many others. Lelo also presented their plan for the reconstruction of Georgian economy. The plan included: 1) the creation of 200,000 jobs and a strong middle class, with 600,000 citizens at least receiving more than 3,000 lari in monthly incomes; 2) strengthening farmers and the complete usage of agricultural lands; 3) ensuring state care for each elderly individual living alone; 4) a guaranteed first job for the young population and funding the first accommodation for young families; 5) more women participating in Georgia’s private and public spheres; and 6) state health insurance for all families in the country with the involvement of private insurance companies.

It is also worth mentioning that the clashes between the GD and UNM supporters in the Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities (Caucasus Watch reported) are still sparking debates in the country. The Head of Elections Headquarters of GD Irakli Kobahidze stated that he is sure that he would “see people behind bars” for the incident. We have managed to prevent incidents many times and I can name the facts. For example, four supporters of Nika Melia [one of the leaders of the UNM] came to Levan Kobiashvili's [GD’s majoritarian candidate for Gldani] meeting wearing white shirts and provoked our activists. They wore white shirts specially [so] the traces of this provocation to be visible. It was because our activists were strongly warned not to follow even the most severe provocation that no incident occurred. A member of the Marneuli District Election Commission was hit by a car from behind and as soon as he got out of the car, he was attacked by a member of the radical, criminal opposition. His facial bones have broken in the accident,” Kobahidze stated.

The US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan also stated her concerns over the incident. “It is important that every party sends a clear message to its supporters that such activities and any kind of violence is unacceptable. It is not the way through which democratic elections should be held in Georgia. Such cases will, by all means, damage the reputation of the country,” she said.