Georgia to hold local self-government elections on Oct 4

TBILISI. Aug 5 (Interfax) - Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has signed an order of Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili scheduling local self-government elections for October 4, 2025, the presidential administration said on Tuesday.

Mayors and members of local self-government bodies will be elected.

Kobakhidze has said on numerous occasions that the ruling party Georgian Dream will win a convincing victory in all 64 municipalities where the elections will be held.

Meanwhile, eight largest opposition parties led by the United National Movement, founded by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, have refused to take part in the elections. United National Movement leaders said they were unable to stand in the elections due to the illegitimacy of the incumbent authorities.

Party leader Tina Bokuchava told the press that local self-government elections would not happen, as "there will be a peaceful revolution" in Georgia before October. Party leaders said that Georgian people discontent with the authorities would take to the street as early as in September when the European Union will suspend the visa-free regime for Georgia.

The European Commission sent a letter to the Georgian government in July demanding that the laws on the ban on LGBT community propaganda and on foreign agents be repealed and a number of opposition leaders be released from custody by the end of August. It said that the EU visa-free system would be suspended for Georgian citizens unless that was done.