“It is clear that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s power is most effectively and securely reinforced by Irakli Kobakhidze and his team. They are not only loyal, as Irakli Gharibashvili was, but they are also professionals in building authoritarianism. Kobakhidze is not a fool and is skillfully constructing the pyramid!” said political analyst Paata Zakareishvili during an appearance on PalitraNews’s program “Day’s Newsroom.”
According to Zakareishvili, “the most dramatic and final moment will come when Kobakhidze and Kaladze clash with each other.”
“Kaladze is not part of Kobakhidze’s team, and he wasn’t targeted during the local elections because Ivanishvili first had to deal with Gharibashvili and Liluashvili. Kobakhidze’s strength for Ivanishvili lies in his extreme unpopularity, and Ivanishvili will always support Kobakhidze’s unpopularity. As soon as he brings him down, he won’t spare anyone – like Breughel’s ‘Fall of Icarus’, who fell into the sea unnoticed,” Zakareishvili stated.
According to the political analyst, having consolidated its power, “Georgian Dream” is unconcerned about legitimacy. Zakareishvili believes legitimacy is of secondary importance to “Georgian Dream.”
“Following the October 26 elections last year, a significant portion of society clearly felt that the election results were illegitimate and did not reflect reality. The mood in Georgia is one thing, but we see a completely different reality in parliament. Against this backdrop, the government has truly been exposed, and this exposure has led to the fact that legitimacy is no longer a concern for ‘Georgian Dream.’ Legitimacy is like being well-dressed and needing jewelry. ‘Georgian Dream’ will go out without jewelry – it’s not a problem for them.
I don’t agree with those who say, ‘Let’s hold on a bit longer, and we’ll win soon.’ Unfortunately, there are no signs of victory in the near future, and long-term plans are needed. ‘We’ll win soon’ is a short-term plan that later causes frustration among people.
The regime is not weakening; it is strengthening. The regime has been bolstered by both the boycott and the revolution, and today ‘Georgian Dream’ is calm. It wants legitimacy, but legitimacy is a secondary, additional value for them, not a primary one.
For ‘Georgian Dream,’ legitimacy means legitimacy on their terms, not according to international standards. It’s wrong to say that legitimacy is their primary concern—their main goal is maintaining power!” Zakareishvili stated.
Zakareishvili also noted that toppling “Georgian Dream” would be easy if the opposition were united. According to him, “Georgian Dream’s” strength lies in the opposition’s weakness.
“Those who say, ‘It’ll happen soon,’ what will they say in October 2028? ‘Soon’ will drag on until October 2028, and people will have to endure until then.
The country is governed by an anti-Western, anti-European, anti-democratic, and anti-constitutional government that has no means of maintaining power other than aligning with Russia. When we’re not heading anywhere else, it naturally implies a Russian orientation. Besides Europe, where else can you go? They lie when they say a small state like ours has an independent path. Such a path doesn’t exist – David the Builder was David the Builder, and his title included ‘Basileus’, meaning he was a Byzantine official.
There have always been empires around Georgia, and a small nation preserved its dignity, identity, and Christianity through cooperation with empires. If we’re not moving toward another gravitational pull or turbulence, we remain in the old turbulence, and the old turbulence is Russia!” Zakareishvili stated.
The political analyst believes that not entering parliament was a mistake, and Giorgi Gakharia’s party is now correcting that mistake.
“The irresponsibility of the parties is unacceptable to a significant portion of society. On October 4, 220,000 opposition-minded voters in Tbilisi went to the polls, not for a revolution but for elections. These 220,000 people supported Giorgi Gakharia, Lelo, and Girchi. The majority, however, stayed home – neither going to the polls nor joining a revolution.
Gakharia has started swimming against the current, which, in my opinion, is almost heroic. I find it acceptable, and I am inspired by people who swim against the tide.
The legitimacy or illegitimacy of parliament does not mean its non-existence. Illegitimate means something exists but is illegitimate. Legitimacy is a very specific and individual concept. Talking about parliament’s illegitimacy is foolish because it’s a laughable topic for ‘Georgian Dream,’ whose main goal is maintaining power. Let’s stop talking about legitimacy-illegitimacy and focus on how we work with this reality.
Water is either potable or sewage. This is sewage, and they [Gakharia’s party members] are stepping into this filth to fix some problems,” Zakareishvili stated.
Paata Zakareishvili: I don’t agree that ‘we will win soon.’ The regime is not weakening; it is strengthening. Gakharia has started swimming against the current, which is almost heroic – I am inspired by people who swim against the tide
