Georgian Parliament Speaker slams German lawmaker’s “support for radical opposition”

Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday accused Michael Roth, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag, of “backing the radical wing” of the domestic opposition and “electoral interference” ahead of the October 26 general elections. 

In his press comments upon the German lawmaker’s arrival in Tbilisi, the official said Roth’s “support for the radical opposition at an anti-Government demonstration [during rallies against the law on transparency of foreign influence in May]” represented an “affront to the Georgian people, their elected Government, and the Church”. 

He also labelled the politician’s speech at the demonstration in Tbilisi, in which he praised the protesters and pointed to alleged cooperation between the Georgian Government and the Orthodox Church Patriarchate, as “inappropriate and unwelcome”.

As far as I understand, Roth has come to support the opposition, and likely, the opposition will line up to meet him. This individual has insulted the Georgian people, and therefore, we have no desire to meet him. His support for the radical opposition and his disregard for our Church, Government, and democracy are unacceptable. It is unfortunate that we have not heard any regret from him [over his previous comments]”, Papuashvili said. 

The official also claimed the German lawmaker’s actions were “equivalent to participating” in the election campaign and “interference” in the country's internal politics, while pointing to the opposition’s apparent approval of his stance. 

He further said Roth’s “would be deemed a scandal if a foreign politician had exhibited similar conduct in Germany” during election period, and expressed concern that “some in Europe view small countries condescendingly”, before affirming the Georgian authorities would “continue to address such issues publicly”.

The Georgian people will have the opportunity on October 26 to choose whether they want to follow Roth's wisdom or their own wisdom”, the official said. 

Roth took to social media platform X earlier on Monday to highlight his support for Georgian civil society. 

Critical, brave NGOs are the backbone of a strong, resilient democracy. Thanks for pro-European commitment and inspiring work. The foreign agent law is poison for democratic culture in Georgia and must therefore be abolished”, he wrote. 

In his comments earlier this month, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also accused Roth of alleged cooperation with “radical domestic groups”, and claimed he had been involved in a “revolutionary attempt” in the country.