The tactic known in football as creating an artificial offside situation sometimes backfires, giving the opposing team an easy opportunity to score, wrote Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, on social media.
As Papuashvili noted, we are currently witnessing just such an unsuccessful maneuver in Georgian politics, planned from abroad but, as often happens, poorly executed by the Georgian opposition.
According to him, “Georgian Dream” is on the verge of yet another victory, this time in local elections.
“The tactic known in football as creating an artificial offside situation sometimes backfires, giving the opposing team an easy opportunity to score. We are now witnessing just such an unsuccessful maneuver in Georgian politics, planned from abroad but, as often happens, poorly executed by the Georgian opposition.
For almost a year, the opposition and its foreign patrons have pursued a tactic of deliberately ignoring the elected government, aiming to drive Georgia’s authorities into a tactical deadlock. However, instead of being cornered, ‘Georgian Dream’ is on the verge of yet another victory, this time in local elections.
This unsuccessful tactic began with the misguided decision to reject the results of the October 2024 parliamentary elections. At that time, the opposition’s foreign patrons wrongly assumed they would win the elections and directed all their energy toward supporting the opposition’s campaign. This is why we saw synchronized political messages from foreigners and the opposition, as well as near-unlimited funding for the infamous ‘NGO cartel,’ which was engaged in election campaigning against ‘Georgian Dream.’ Moreover, as the elections approached, some foreigners, crossing all diplomatic red lines, directly joined the opposition’s election campaign. It was clear that some foreign politicians and diplomats went all-in, opposing the government and supporting the opposition. However, their expectations of an opposition victory proved mistaken. Their campaign, which portrayed the elections as a decisive referendum and urged everyone to participate, succeeded—but with the opposite result. The large number of voters who turned out, the silent majority of our population, clearly understood the true essence of the referendum and voted for ‘Georgian Dream’ and Georgia’s peaceful and successful future, not for the violent and dark past associated with the opposition.
Since foreigners so openly aligned themselves with the opposition, they had to accept the opposition’s defeat as their own. The shock was so unexpected, and the cognitive dissonance so strong, that they decided to deny reality and orchestrate sabotage against the newly elected parliament. This was highly irrational, as the opposition secured 61 out of 150 mandates, which would have made them a significant force in parliament. However, part of the opposition once again harmed itself, rejected the people’s trust, and renounced their parliamentary mandates.
The policy of rejecting elections created a vicious cycle that began with sabotaging the parliament and continued with refusing to participate in municipal elections. Moreover, radicals even threatened to disrupt the elections. However, the tactic of creating an artificial offside situation failed. The plan to disrupt the elections collapsed. Despite the sabotage, the elections are being held on time. Of the four opposition parties that crossed the electoral threshold in 2024, two are participating in the elections, but they have no chance of winning. ‘Georgian Dream’ is preparing for an absolute victory in the elections.
Meanwhile, these elections also present an opportunity to acknowledge mistakes. Those who started the vicious cycle of rejecting elections now have a chance to correct their mistaken stance, show due respect for Georgia’s sovereignty and public legitimacy, and return to a civilized form of interstate relations.
Everyone must keep pace with the spirit of an era that ends wars and international confrontations. The October 4 elections in Georgia serve as a litmus test and a good opportunity for those who are sincerely disposed toward Georgia to end the vicious cycle of confrontation and non-cooperation, for ‘there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,’” Papuashvili wrote.
Shalva Papuashvili: Those who started the vicious cycle of rejecting elections now have a chance to correct their mistaken stance and show due respect for Georgia’s sovereignty
