Members of “Gakharia – For Georgia” in the Supreme Council of Adjara are ending the boycott regime and beginning activities in the region’s legislative body, according to a statement made by members of the party’s Batumi organization during a briefing.
According to them, given the situation in the country, it is vitally important for the voice of the population to be heard from the legislative body.
The party “Gakharia – For Georgia” will be represented in the Supreme Council of Adjara by two members: Nino Chkhetia and Archil Samnidze.
“It is well known to everyone that after the parliamentary and Supreme Council elections on October 26, our political team unanimously decided to boycott both Parliament and, in parallel, the Supreme Council. However, today’s reality has clearly shown that the form of political protest chosen a year ago not only failed to stop or weaken the Georgian Dream government but instead strengthened it, turning ‘Dream’ in the shortest time into the primary internal evil force obstructing its own country’s progress.
The boycott proved to be damaging not only to the state but also to political parties, which ‘Georgian Dream’ exploited by deepening the division of public opinion and leading the population expressing peaceful protest to the provocation of October 4.
In the current situation in the country, we also bear a certain responsibility, because a year ago we failed to convince society and the political spectrum that the annulment of deputy mandates would be a mistake, which was followed – and continues to be followed – by an extremely tense political and social situation in the country!
The announced and carried out, utterly unjustified, irresponsible, and provocative processes on the day of the local self-government elections – October 4 – have so exacerbated the situation in the country that they damaged and pitted against each other an already weakened opposition spectrum, giving ‘Dream’ the pretext to justify strengthening its authoritarianism among its own few supporters.
Today, it is clear to everyone that the opposition’s disappearance from political processes has left the people defenseless in the face of a regime that, to maintain its governing power, does not shy away from persecuting differing opinions, imprisoning those who express critical views, declaring all holders of differing opinions as criminals against the country, and punishing them. Precisely for this reason, our main goal is to fight from legislative bodies to preserve differing, healthy, and progressive opinions!
The situation created after October 4 has once again convinced us that not using the tribune of Parliament and the Supreme Council, especially in this difficult period, is not only a mistake but a crime against the country and the people.
Our party has consistently asserted that the only legal way to fight a government that has lost public trust is through elections and the active use of the resulting mandates for a better future for the country and the population.
With today’s statement, we once again confirm that, given the situation in the country, we consider it vitally important for the differing opinions of Georgia’s citizens – our region’s population – to be heard not only in Parliament or municipal councils but also in the Supreme Council of Adjara. Precisely for this reason, we are exiting the boycott regime and beginning active engagement in all legislative and representative bodies, so that the real demands of our population find reflection in the country’s political life, and so that we can gradually return the country to the framework of constitutional and democratic development,” stated the members of the party “Gakharia – For Georgia” in the Supreme Council of Adjara.
Members of “Gakharia – For Georgia” in the Supreme Council of Adjara are ending the boycott and beginning activities in the region’s legislative body
