Levan Gachechiladze

Levan Gachechiladze

Member of the Georgian Parliament, businessman
Date of Birth: 20.07.1964
Country: Georgia

Content:
  1. Biography of Levan Gachechiladze
  2. Political Career
  3. Opposition Coalition
  4. Presidential Candidate
  5. Return to Parliament

Biography of Levan Gachechiladze

Levan Gachechiladze, a member of the Georgian parliament and a businessman, was born on July 20, 1964, in Tbilisi. He graduated from Tbilisi State University with a degree in mathematics and cybernetics. After completing his education, Gachechiladze worked as a commercial agent for the firm "Lilo" and as a deputy head of the commercial department of the Georgian Sports Department.

Political Career

In 1999, Gachechiladze was elected as a member of the Georgian parliament representing the "Union of Citizens of Georgia," which supported President Eduard Shevardnadze. He chaired the Committee on Economic Policy and Reforms during his tenure. In June 2000, he became the chairman of the "New Right" party, a parliamentary faction led by David Gamkrelidze, who had split from the "Union of Citizens of Georgia." However, in June 2003, Gachechiladze stepped down as the leader of the "New Right" and was replaced by Gamkrelidze due to disagreements over their stance on the "Rose Revolution" in the autumn of 2003.

In March 2004, Gachechiladze was elected to the parliament representing the "New Right" party. After joining the parliament, he left the party and joined the inter-party faction called the "Democratic Front." Gachechiladze also became a member of the Finance and Budget Committee.

Opposition Coalition

Until September 2006, Gachechiladze did not show much political activity. However, in September 2006, he joined a coalition of opposition parties, including the "Georgia's Way" party led by former Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili, the "Freedom" party led by Konstantin Gamsakhurdia, and former Georgian State Minister for Conflict Resolution Georgi Khaindrava. He joined the coalition as an independent member of parliament.

On November 2, 2007, a mass protest took place in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, organized by several opposition parties. Gachechiladze participated in this protest. On November 7, 2007, another rally was dispersed by the police using tear gas and water cannons. Gachechiladze was severely beaten and taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Presidential Candidate

On November 12, 2007, the National Council of the united opposition elected Gachechiladze as the single opposition candidate for the presidential elections in Georgia, which were scheduled by President Mikhail Saakashvili for January 5, 2008. In case of victory, the opposition promised to abolish the presidency and transfer all power to the Prime Minister. On December 7, 2007, Gachechiladze was officially registered as a presidential candidate. The other candidates in the election were Saakashvili, Shalva Natelashvili of the Labor Party, businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, David Gamkrelidze of the "New Right" party, Giya Maisashvili of the Future Party, and Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia of the "Hope" political movement. The election took place on January 5, 2008, with a voter turnout of 56.17%. According to official data, Gachechiladze received the support of 25.69% of voters and lost to Saakashvili, who won with 53.47% of the votes.

Return to Parliament

On May 21, 2008, Gachechiladze was elected as a member of the Georgian parliament representing the united opposition. He continues to serve as a parliament member and is involved in opposition politics in Georgia.

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