“We have not undertaken any procedures with the Georgian Parliament. We have not made any appeals to the Speaker of the Parliament, and I cannot even understand what kind of appeal we were supposed to make. Our focus is now on the local self-government elections, but depending on the context that emerges as of October 5, we may revisit this issue,” said Giorgi Sharashidze, one of the leaders of the “Gakharia for Georgia” party, in response to a report by Imedi TV on the program “Day’s Newsroom” of PalitraNews. The report claimed that members of the “Gakharia for Georgia” party, including Giorgi Sharashidze, had ended their boycott and appealed to the Speaker of the Parliament to “act in accordance with the procedures defined by law.”
According to Sharashidze, the issue of the boycott will be reconsidered after the local elections, based on the broader context rather than the outcome of victory or defeat in the elections.
“We have not undertaken any procedures with the Georgian Parliament. We have not made any appeals to the Speaker of the Parliament, and I cannot understand what kind of appeal we were supposed to make. This is merely a procedural matter: the mandates of the previous 12 members were terminated, and the mandates of 12 new members were recognized. As for the boycott, we have not changed our decision, and we do not intend to reconsider it, as our focus is now on the local self-government elections. However, depending on the context that emerges as of October 5, we may revisit this issue. This will not be related to victory or defeat. It concerns a broader context. We have not changed our decision, nor do we plan to change it. There may have been some exchange of information regarding procedural matters, but we remain in boycott and do not intend to reconsider this decision before the municipal elections,” stated Giorgi Sharashidze.
Regarding other issues, the politician also commented on the events that took place yesterday on Melikishvili Avenue in Tbilisi, near the election headquarters of “Georgian Dream” mayoral candidate Kakha Kaladze. According to him, the confrontation on September 8 in the evening between rally participants and “Georgian Dream” supporters was fully organized and planned by Kakha Kaladze.
“What we saw yesterday is completely outrageous. It was an organized ambush against rally participants, and it was, of course, planned and supported by ‘Dream.’ It is unfortunate that the police and representatives of law enforcement structures were also involved in this. People have been sent to prison for four or five years, accused of group assault without any basis, while yesterday we directly witnessed a group and organized attack against rally participants. Not a single person has been punished. This is neither Georgian, nor manly, nor Tbilisian, nor urban, nor related to dignity, especially from people who come out and talk to us about dignity, Georgianness, and traditions when it suits them. Is this what they learned in Tbilisi, in their own families? From the examples of their ancestors’ heroism and manliness? Slapping a woman, punching her, knocking her down, committing violence against her, and then fleeing, hoping that the police will protect you—is this Georgianness and dignity? I want to address Kaladze: Is this his understanding of peace? His shameless slogan, ‘Peace for Georgia, more good for Tbilisi’—is this goodness? Full responsibility lies with Kaladze and entirely with ‘Dream.’
‘Dream’ will do everything to maintain its power and this usurped government. In fact, this is an unhinged, criminal gang. Yesterday’s events reflect the true face of ‘Dream.’ There is footage where a woman says, ‘What did you think?’ In other footage, a person armed with a rubber baton tells the police, ‘I’m one of yours, don’t arrest me.’ Protests have been ongoing for 300 days, and the police always escort the Public Broadcaster’s guards’ march, but why weren’t those people there yesterday, or why didn’t they respond promptly? This was, of course, coordinated.
They know very well that they do not have the support of the Georgian people and never will, with such a violent regime that has betrayed Georgia’s national interests. They try to stay in the spotlight with propaganda and lies. In fair election conditions, they cannot maintain power, so they have resorted to violence. As the elections approach, this confrontation, unfortunately, will increase, and the responsibility lies with ‘Georgian Dream,’ and for yesterday’s events, the responsibility lies personally with Kaladze. I want to tell him – he has never been the mayor of Tbilisians, and even more so today, he is not the mayor of Tbilisians. The only ones he might be the mayor of are the violent ‘titushky’ we saw yesterday,” stated Giorgi Sharashidze.
Regarding the local self-government elections and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s statement that the “Gakharia for Georgia” and “Lelo” parties failed to nominate mayoral candidates in 27 municipalities, Giorgi Sharashidze stated that, given the conditions where “Georgian Dream” has all the resources and plans to win the elections through violence, bribery, and intimidation, it is not surprising that they could not nominate mayoral candidates in a few municipalities.
“We have nominated council lists in every municipality. We are fighting in the majority of cities and have nominated majoritarian candidates as well, despite the fact that ‘Georgian Dream’ has more financial resources, and we are in an unequal fight. The fact that we don’t have mayoral candidates in a few municipalities is not surprising.
All types of resources are in their hands, and they plan to win these elections through violence, bribery, and intimidation. We are fighting on two fronts: on one hand, against the main enemy, and on the other, we have to fend off the boycott. You know the decisions of other political parties that have chosen to become the opposition of the opposition, which, of course, increases the challenges. We continue the fight, but it is unclear why the other parties decided to boycott and why they are obstructing us when we have a common goal. We are not a street party, and we do not support radicalism. This increases the challenge. We respect their decision, but our path is the path of elections, the path of using political instruments. Those who talk about revolution today are serving ‘Dream.’
As for inviting OSCE/ODIHR, ‘Dream’ is using this fact for its propaganda. The only thing OSCE/ODIHR can manage to do is assess competitiveness, which is not the main criterion. The elections are already being rigged, and OSCE/ODIHR no longer has any means or tools to monitor how freely the elections are conducted,” stated Giorgi Sharashidze.
The politician also responded to accusations that “Gakharia for Georgia” and “Lelo-Strong Georgia” have entered into a “deal” with “Georgian Dream.” According to him, “Georgian Dream” is trying to shift the focus to radicalization and tension, pushing the elections to the background.
“Those who accuse us of this should take responsibility for the scenario they are offering to their own voters. We have repeatedly asked, ‘Tell us, what is your plan?’ We intend to change the government through elections. When we enter elections in an unequal environment, against a violent, autocratic regime that has consolidated all power and uses every lever to fight against us – does that mean collaboration? Of course not. If there is a front for this fight, it is the elections. What ‘Georgian Dream’ fears is that the electorate it is losing every day will not be reflected in the election results. That’s why they are trying to shift the focus to radicalization and tension, pushing the elections to the background,” stated Giorgi Sharashidze.
Giorgi Sharashidze: Yesterday we witnessed an organized ambush against the rally participants; I want to address Kaladze: the shameless slogan he uses – is that “peace,” is that “kindness?” He has never been the mayor of Tbilisi; he is the mayor of violent “titushkas”
