**Opposition Leader Calls for Party to Quit Parliament**
Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of opposition coalition Strong Georgia, has called on Giorgi Gakharia’s party, For Georgia, to give up its parliamentary mandates. He says this is because being in parliament with a government that works closely with Russia means doing business with them.
Khazaradze made his comments at a press briefing on February 7. He said that the opposition parties had passed the 5% threshold in the disputed 2024 elections, but were then stripped of their mandates by the GD-majority parliament. This left the parliament with only 89 MPs, which is not enough to make decisions.
Khazaradze cited several examples where a majority is needed, such as changing the constitution or impeaching the president. He said that even though there are 101 MPs on paper, in practice there are only 89, and this “comes down to Gakharia’s party”.
The opposition leader stressed that not withdrawing For Georgia’s mandates is like helping the “Russian government” in Georgia. He also accused Giorgi Gakharia of spreading propaganda against the opposition.
**Background**
Earlier this month, the GD-majority parliament stripped 49 opposition MPs of their mandates. Khazaradze and his party had already given up their mandates after the disputed elections. For Georgia has not officially renounced its mandates, despite saying they consider the GD parliament illegitimate.
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