Levan Gachechiladze:
At the center of Gachechiladze's political platform is a promise to transform Georgia's presidential republic into a parliamentary system led by a prime minister. "I will fire myself" after coming to power, says Gachechiladze. He already has a candidate in mind for the post of prime minister - Salome Zourabichvili, former foreign minister under Saakashvili and the French-born leader of Georgia's Way Party. Gachechiladze believes that Georgia has been bordering on the verge of autocracy due to the strong executive. He thinks parliamentary system will give people more say in the government and will be more accommodating to nonmainstream thought. If elected, he said he would hold a referendum on changing the form of government. He also promised to carry out most of his reforms within 200 days after being elected.
Davit Gamkrelidze:
Gamkrelidze strongly backs using a constitutional monarchy to reinforce the legislative branch's powers. If elected, he will hold a popular referendum to let Georgians choose between the constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system led by a non-partisan president. Should the monarchy proposal gain sufficient popular support, Gamkrelidze proposes appointing Patriarch Ilia II as regent until the monarch is selected from among members of Georgia's royal house of Bagrationi. While the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church was the first to float the idea of a constitutional monarchy publicly, Gamkrelidze, however, asserts that his proposal to let Ilia II act as regent was not previously discussed with the prelate. "No one... should assume that the Patriarch has had any involvement in this proposal," Gachechiladze told a November 24 news conference.
Shalva Natelashvili:
Despite his stated presidential ambitions, Natelashvili has just recently joined the anti-presidency club. He promises to abolish the presidency and to have Georgians choose the correct form of government though a referendum. The Labor Party leader also plans to introduce elections for gubernatorial, mayoral and judicial posts, positions that are currently primarily by presidential appointment. Also what Natelashvili terms "anti-national legislation," which allegedly undermine Georgian statehood, will be annulled, his program proposal reads.
Irina Sarishvili:
Like other candidates, Sarishvili also supports the idea of a constitutional monarchy. "This is the most adequate form of government for Georgia," Sarishvili told EurasiaNet. Unlike her fellow opposition leaders, who call for immediate abolishment of the presidential system, though, she believes that the president should continue to rule the country until Georgia is ready for such change.
Mikheil Saakashvili:
Although he has made no explicit comment or proposal on the matter, Saakashvili is believed to support the continuation of a strong executive branch, though has indicated that parliament could be given a broader role in the country's affairs. He has joked, however, that if Georgians want to establish a constitutional monarchy, he himself is descended from the Georgian royal house of Bagrationi, and that "it would be even better" to "decide everything based on family traditions."
Gia Maisashvili:
Unlike most other opposition candidates, Maisashvili does not see a parliamentary form of government as a panacea for GeorgiaÕs various woes. He favors a presidential system, but with fewer powers concentrated in the hands of the president and a better mechanism of checks and balances.
