Forty Georgian parties want to stand for parliament; 19 registered - CEC
TBILISI. Aug 5 (Interfax) - Forty political parties have applied for participation in the Georgian parliamentary elections due on October 1; 19 of them have been registered, other applications are still being processed, the Georgian Central Electoral Commission said.
Only three political forces can get parliamentary mandates: the ruling United National Movement party, the Georgian Dream opposition coalition led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and the Christian Democratic Movement, according to social polls and the opinion of independent Georgian experts.
Other political parties will not be able to secure enough of voters' support to pass the 5% election threshold, experts said.
The deadline for submitting applications to the CEC expires at 6 p.m. on August 5.