TBILISI, July 1 (RIA Novosti) – Georgia's presidential election will take place on October 31, instead of October 27 as was previously announced, a statement from the presidential administration said Monday.
Earlier in the day, a spokeswoman for President Mikheil Saakashvili had said, citing a presidential decree, that the election was scheduled for October 27. But the later statement said “the mistake was caused by a technical glitch.”
The statement added that presidential administration head Andro Barnov “apologized for naming the incorrect date.”
Three candidates already seem likely to enter the race. Incumbent Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Giorgi Margvelashvili, who heads the ministry of education and science, was nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream coalition.
The non-parliamentary center-left Georgian Labor Party has nominated its founder and chairman Shalva Natelashvili. The National Assembly public organization nominated Nino Burjanadze, a Georgian opposition veteran and one of the leaders of the 2003 Rose Revolution, which brought Saakashvili to power.
The pro-Saakashvili United National Movement, which lost its majority in parliament during last year’s popular elections, will hold a vote this month to choose its candidate.
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