Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Number of candidates for presidency who appealed to the Georgian Central Election Commission for registration has reached 26, the Central Election Commission (CEC) reported on August 5.

CEC also reported that three presidential candidates - Avtandil Pilauri, George Gahokiya, Tariel Khvedelidze and initiative group, which nominated them, were rejected in the registration.

Recall that Georgian Former Minister of Education and Science, member of the Georgian ruling coalition Georgian Dream Giorgi Margvelashvili, Ex-Speaker of Parliament, leader of the Democratic Movement - United Georgia Nino Burjanadze, as well as candidate from the United National Movement David Bakradze have not applied to the CEC for registration.

Earlier, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Davit Usupashvili said that he could not guarantee Former Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili's joining the presidential elections. Zourabichvili, who plans to join the presidential race in Georgia, said she was ready to renounce dual citizenship, if she wins the presidential election. Usupashvili emphasized that the law prohibits individuals with dual citizenship, as Zurabishvili, who is a citizen of Georgia and France, to participate in the presidential elections.

Leader of Christian-Democratic Movement Giorgi Targamadze and leader of the Labor Party Shalva Natelashvili have appealed to the Georgian CEC, but still to get registration.

In order to be registered, the candidate must collect at least 26,530 signatures (0.75 percent of the total number of voters). The deadline for submitting signatures is September 17, and the date when the recent changes to them can be made is September 22.

According to the CEC, there are 3,5 million voters in Georgia.

The 2013 presidential election in Georgia is scheduled for October. This will be the 6th presidential election after the country's declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The last one, held on January 5, 2008, resulted in the election of Mikheil Saakashvili for his second and final presidential term. According to the constitution, Saakashvili cannot run for a third consecutive term.

Upon the inauguration of a new president in 2013, a series of constitutional amendments passed in the parliament of Georgia from 2010 to 2013 will go into effect. The amendments envisage significant reduction of the President's powers in favor of the Prime Minister.