Elections in Georgia prove the best in the whole region’s history
by Emmanuil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Monday, October 28, 17:33
Giorgi Margvelashvili, the candidate from the ruling Georgian Dream
coalition, has won the presidential election in Georgia with 62.12% of
votes, the Central Electoral Commission of Georgia reports. His main
competitors – David Bakradze and Nino Burjanadze – obtained 21.72% and
10.18% of votes, respectively.
The total electorate in Georgia is 3,537.719 people. On October 27,
the election turnout was 46.6%. To recall, the President of Georgia is
elected for 5 years and can serve for no more than two consecutive
terms.
Margvelashvili was born on September 4, 1969. In 1992, he graduated
from the Faculty of Philosophy and Psychology, Tbilisi Ivane
Javakhishvili State University. In 1994 he studied at the Faculty of
Sociology at the Central European University. He holds PhD. Before
coming into politics, he worked as a guide in the mountains and
assistant manager at a publishing house. In 1995-2000 he was an
interpreter at the U.S. National Democratic Institute (NDI), later he
held the post of the assistant and head of one of the programs at NDI.
In 2000-2002 Margvelashvili was the rector of the Georgian Institute
of Public Affairs (GIPA), in 2006-2010 he headed the research
department. Margvelashvili’s latest post was the Minister of Education
and Science of Georgia.
On May 11, 2013, the ruling Georgian Dream coalition, which is
composed of 6 parties, advanced Margvelashvili’s nominee for president
of Georgia. Margvelashvili himself represents none of the 6 parties of
the coalition.
European independent observes think that despite the modest turnout,
Margvelashvili’s victory is quite convincing to ensure his legitimacy
and the population’s confidence in him. They consider that the past
election in Georgia turned out to be the best election in the whole
region’s history.
From: Baghdasarian