Ruling party officials highlight “dangers facing nation”, past Gov’t “crimes” ahead of “critical” elections

Leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Thursday highlighted “dangers” associated with the “high-stakes” upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26, and reminded the public of “crimes” committed under the former United National Movement party Government between 2003-2012.

In his opening remarks at a campaign meeting in Georgia's Black Sea city of Batumi, Tornike Rizhvadze, the Chair of the Adjara regional Government, emphasised the significance of the GD victory in 2012 parliamentary elections, framing it as the “victory of good over evil”.

Irakli Garibashvil, the Chair of the ruling party, also recalled the 2012 developments when the “enemy of its own country and our people, a violent, anti-democratic, anti-national regime built solely on terror, blackmail and the suppression of any dissenting view” that had created a “reign of hopelessness” in the country was “driven out of power”.

Garibashvili also highlighted the role of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Honorary Chair and founder of the GD party, who despite the “risk of personal safety” and while facing “illegal means of election warfare and threats”, “set aside his personal interests and demonstrated a prime example of serving the common good” that led to the victory in 2012.

He further portrayed Ivanishvili and the GD party as the “guarantors of preservation of peace and stability” in the country and called on citizens to “choose between peace and war” in the “decisive” upcoming elections.

In his address, Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling party, underscored the historic significance of Batumi, calling it “not only one of the oldest cities” in Georgia, but also one situated on the historical Silk Road connecting Europe and Asia, which he said remained “the centre of politics, culture and economy, notable for its tolerance towards different religions”, contributing to the “strength and wealth” of the Adjara region.

The Secretary General claimed “some of our Western friends” had “hailed the former regime as a beacon of democracy on the backdrop of violence, and infringement on every fundamental human right” taking place in the country due to “certain foreign forces” that “needed and need a Government that will pursue their interest at the expense of those of Georgia”.

In his address, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili claimed “blackmail and threats” had been “voiced from the podium” of the European Parliament, in reference to the EP’s latest resolution on “democratic backsliding and threats to political pluralism in Georgia”.

Papuashvili called on “every foreign actor” to respect the country’s sovereign right to hold the elections “free of external interference”, citing it as “one of the fundamental principles” of the rules-based international order.

He also pointed out that along with the” fight for peace”, there was also a “battle for values”, and further added circumstances surrounding the Parliament’s adoption of the law on “family values ​​and protection of minors” in early October was a “clear example” of the latter.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the GD party, urged the public to once again “carefully recall and analyse the facts” relating to opposition leaders Mikheil Saakashvili, Nika Gvaramia, Mamuka Khazaradze and Giorgi Gakharia, whom he described as “being controlled by the single hand”.

Mdinaradze accused the opposition of being “fully dependent” on external directives, and alleged votes cast for the “agent network” parties of UNM, Ahali, Lelo and For Georgia in the coming parliamentary election would “without exaggeration not only pose a significant threat to our peaceful and dignified tomorrow” but “even to the very existence” of the country.