Ruling party officials highlight importance of “right choice” ahead of October parliamentary elections

The top officials of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Saturday highlighted the importance of making the “right choice” in the “decisive” Parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26 and the progress of the country achieved under their leadership, at a campaign event in the city of Telavi in the country's eastern Kakheti region.

In his opening remarks, Irakli Kadagishvili, the MP of the GD party, emphasised the legacy of Erekle II, a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi dynasty, who had reigned as the King of Kartli and Kakheti in the 18th century, and congratulated the public on Alaverdoba, a local harvest festival.

Irakli Garibashvili, the Chair of the GD party, reminded the public of the “personal example of dedication and self-sacrifice” set by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the party, in the “struggle” against the previous Government, while referring to the ruling period of the now-opposition United National Movement from 2004 to 2012.

Georgia has left behind “the suppression of freedom of speech and the media, the violent break-up of peaceful demonstrations, the torture of prisoners, and the shootings of young people on the streets [committed by UNM while in power], the loss and giving away of our ancestral territories”, he said, adding this was an “unforgivable betrayal of our nation and country”.

Garibashvili expressed hope that the Georgian people would make the “only right choice” and “prove to both internal and external enemies” that the will of the Georgian people was “freedom and peace”, highlighting the October elections as the “decisive battle for peace and the survival of our country”.

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling party, stressed that “the fate of the country, its future, the peace and stability of our families, the inviolability of our faith and traditions, and the reunification of Georgia” were “at stake”.

He also emphasised the “unprecedented level of pressure and violence against the GD party and the people”, manifesting in “critical statements, meaningless resolutions, a series of provocations, and threats”, adding “the fate of this country is entrusted solely to the Georgian people” and it was up to them to decide who to govern the country.

In his address, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili noted Georgia “stands at a historical crossroads” and that the choice was between “becoming part of the European family with our own identity, traditions, and interests” or “leaving all this at Europe’s door and assimilating into the bloc without it”.

“If the domestic opposition had been in power [when the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022], they would not have even blinked an eye to follow sanctions, embargoes, and calls for escalation in the country”, Papuashvili claimed, adding the “black-and-white reality of war” would have returned, as in case of the 2008 August war with Russia.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the GD party, referred to the history of the Kakheti region, calling it a “history of fighting for our land, language, and faith”, as he cited the words of Ilia Chavchavadze, the major figure of the country's 19th-century national movement. He described these values as “divine blessings passed down to us from our ancestors” and said it was “our duty to safeguard them for future generations”.

The Executive Secretary reiterated that the GD party would “proudly act only in the country's interests”, adding he believed the Georgian people would make the right choice in the upcoming elections.