DUSHANBE, May 17, Asia-Plus  -- Four representatives of Tajikistan will observe parliamentary elections in Georgia scheduled for May 21, Asia-Plus has learned from Muhibullo Dodojonov, a spokesman for the Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER).  

According to him, Ms. Rano Samiyeva of the People’s Democratic Party (PDPT) and Mr. Abdvali Tohirov, and employee with the OSCE Center in Dushanbe, are already in Tbilisi and two other Tajik observers – Ms. Muhabbat Gulzorova, the chairperson of the section of the legal department within the President’s Executive Office, and Mirzo Ashourov, a chief specialist with the CCER – will join them on May 19.  

President Mikheil Saakashvili proposed a referendum on bringing the parliamentary election forward from October to April after the 2007 Georgian demonstrations.   The referendum was held at the same time as the early presidential election on January 5, 2008; according to exit polls, voters largely in favor of having the elections in spring.  

The Central Election Commission has registered 3,458,020 voters.  The election will be observed by 14 international and 31 local organizations.

Three election blocs and nine parties are contesting this election. These are:

-  United National Movement, current ruling party led by President Saakashvili;

- United Opposition: the National Council – New Rights,  a bloc uniting a nine-party alliance (Freedom Movement, Conservative Party of Georgia, Party of Georgia, People’s Party, Movement for United Georgia, National Forum, Georgia’s Way, Georgian Troupe, On Our Own Party) with David Gamkrelidze’s New Right, which is led by the former presidential candidate and Saakashvili''s principal rival Levan Garchechiladze;

- Republican Party of Georgia, led by David Usupashvili;

- Georgian labor Party, led by Shalva Natelashvili;  

- Christian-Democratic Movement, founded and led by the former Imedi TV journalist Giorgi Targamadze; 

Rightist Alliance – Topadze Industrialists, uniting Industry Will Save Georgia led by the beer magnate Gogi Topadze, the National Democratic Party and the Unity led former Soviet leader Jumber Patiashvili;

Union of Georgia Traditionalists – Our Georgia – Georgian Women party for Justice and Equality alliance; 

Christian-Democratic Alliance, uniting the former presidential candidate Gia Maisashvili, the Green Party and Temur Shashiashvili, a former governor of Imereti region under ex-President Eduard Shevarnadze; 

- The Georgian Politics, a party recently set up by Gocha Pipia, a member of the outgoing parliament;  

- Our Country;

- National Party of Radical-Democrats of Georgia;

- Union of Georgian Sportsmen.   

The Central Election Commission refused 37 political parties to register for the election for various irregularities in their submissions.

On May 5, 2008, the United States-based company Greenberg Quinlan Rosner published results of the United National Movement-commissioned survey according to which the UNM had the support of 44 percent, compared to 12 percent for the United Opposition Council, 11 percent for the Christian Democratic Movement, 7 percent for the Labor Party of Georgia, and 4 percent for the Republican Party; 16 percent were undecided.