Amid continuing protests, an opposition split and preparations for the October 4 election, Tbilisi mayor Kakha Kaladze is seeking a third term while part of the opposition is boycotting the vote, calling the government illegitimate. At the same time, the campaign has been overshadowed by a series of scandals.
Ferraris and Chimaev’s visit
In late August, activist Mariam Sichinava drew attention to Kaladze’s trip through Tsalenjikha in a Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale worth about 1.38 million euros. She compared the car’s price to the budgets of several villages in the district, where residents complain about poverty, lack of water and poor roads.
In mid-September, Kaladze welcomed UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev to Tbilisi and called him “brother” on social media. Chimaev received a black Ferrari 296 GTB worth about $300,000, after which a video appeared showing three Ferraris speeding along a Georgian highway. Former president Salome Zourabichvili called the episode an “unimaginable insolence” and asked why obvious violations had gone unpunished.
Kaladze insisted that the car was gifted neither by him nor by the state, but by Saba Mikava, the owner of the Forza Tbilisi dealership.
The opposition described that explanation as cynical. Irakli Abesadze of the Center for Civic Engagement noted that up to 250,000 people in Tbilisi are registered as socially vulnerable, while up to 70,000 children receive poverty benefits.
Pressure on the opposition and the external backdrop
Kaladze’s campaign headquarters on Melikishvili Avenue has become a focal point of anti-government protests. After clashes near campaign banners, government supporters were quickly released, while 23-year-old student Megi Diasamidze, who wrote “Russian Dream!” on a poster, was charged with property damage causing losses of 380 lari; the article carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
At the same time, Tbilisi’s international isolation is deepening. In September, the Czech Republic imposed visa restrictions on Georgian holders of diplomatic and service passports, citing human rights concerns. Additional controversy followed reports of a “working” meeting in China between Georgian interior minister Geka Geladze and Belarusian security official Dmitry Gora, who is under EU and US sanctions. The opposition called it another troubling sign of the direction in which the country is moving.