PM highlights importance of securing constitutional majority in elections to “hold UNM party accountable for crimes”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday highlighted the ruling Georgian Dream party’s “fundamental” task to secure a constitutional majority in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26 in order to “once and for all save the country from the plague known as the collective United National Movement” opposition.

In his speech at a campaign meeting in the country’s central-eastern city of Mtskheta, Kobakhidze noted the ruling party’s ambition was “much bigger than just winning the elections”.

Our ambition is that we want to secure a constitutional majority. As of today, our approval rating is around 60 percent, which gives us a very good starting position to secure a constitutional majority. This is our ambitious task”, he told the rally.

Kobakhidze also claimed the UNM party had “committed many crimes” during its governance between 2004 and 2012, and further pointed out that “a legal process is still necessary in order to establish these crimes legally”.

He vowed that these procedures would “definitely” start “as soon as the Georgian Dream party secures a constitutional majority” in the parliamentary elections.

Kobakhidze also highlighted the role of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, in “maintaining peace” in the country.

“Bidzina Ivanishvili is the number one guarantor of peace in this country”, he said.

He further said the Georgian Dream Government was “the first Government in the country’s recent history during which the country has not had a war”, and said the continuous 12-year peace had brought “unprecedented economic progress” to Georgia.