Georgian Ruling Coalition Names Its 2013 Presidential Candidate

Georgian Education Minister Giorgi Margvelashvili

TBILISI -- The ruling Georgian Dream coalition in Tbilisi has nominated Education Minister Georgi Margvelashvili as its presidential candidate in Georgia’s October 2013 presidential election.

The announcement was made on May 11 by Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads the coalition.

He said the decision was made unanimously by the political council of Georgian Dream, which groups together six political parties who hold a parliamentary majority.

The nomination makes Margvelashvili a favorite to win the October ballot.

A new constitution that comes into effect in Georgia after the vote means that whoever wins the vote will have significantly less power than outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, Interfax, and ITAR-TASS