Levan Gachechiladze
In 1999, Levan Gachechiladze took part in another pre-election campaign - as head of Mikheil Saakashvili's parliamentary election headquarters. This time round, though, he is billed as the former president's top opposition rival, backed by nine opposition parties.
But if he wins election, Gachechiladze has pledged that he will not stick around for long. Instead, the 43-year-old businessman, an independent parliamentarian, has promised to resign as soon as constitutional procedures are set up for turning Georgia into a parliamentary republic. The coalition backing Gachechiladze has named former Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili as his choice - if elected -- for prime minister.
Ironically, Gachechiladze was formerly close to yet another presidential contender - New Rights Party leader Davit Gamkrelidze. In 2000, both resigned from their posts as heads of the parliamentary committees in protest against government corruption under then President Eduard Shevardnadze, and founded their own pro-business political organization, a group that became the New Rights Party in 2001.
In 2002, Gachechiladze left parliament and became a deputy in the Tbilisi City Council. He parted ways with the New Rights Party in 2003 over their decision to not join the Rose Revolution. He was elected to parliament in 2004 on the National Movement's party list, but sat as an independent.
Gachechiladze is also the founder of one of Georgia's first joint stock companies, Georgian Wine and Spirits, on whose board he still serves.
Known by his nickname "Grechikha" ("Buckwheat" in Russian), Gachechiladze, an emotional and colorful talker, is often seen more as a "true Tbilisian" than as a career politician.
Gachechiladze's clash with the ruling party began in 2004 when he accused the authorities of corruption in the privatization of an aircraft factory. In 2005, he, along with other parliamentarians who had clashed with the ruling party, set up the opposition parliamentary faction, the Democratic Front.
The parliamentarian was among the opposition activists who staged a hunger strike in front of parliament during the November 2-7 protests in Tbilisi, and was reportedly injured during the police crackdown on the rally.
Website: NA
Address: 10 Topurias Kucha, Tbilisi
Tel: (995-32) 32 05 91; 81; 47
