Ruling party leaders highlight GD’s actions aimed at ensuring interests of country, citizens

The leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Tuesday highlighted the GD’s actions aimed at serving the interests of the country and its citizens.

In his address at a campaign event in the western city of Zugdidi, the Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili noted that the ruling team had managed to achieve “success” in various directions, and unlike the domestic opposition, it had refused to participate in the “geopolitical games” of others, and the Government safeguarded the interests of its citizens “first”.

“By standing together, we have halved the unemployment rate and reduced poverty by three times, with nearly half a million people already overcoming poverty. In terms of economic growth rates, we are frontrunners not only in the region but in Europe”, the Speaker said. 

“In terms of the rule of law, lack of corruption, and economic freedom, we are not only the number one state in the region, but we are ahead of all candidate countries for EU membership and in some cases even EU member states”, he noted.

In his turn, Irakli Garibashvili, the Chair of the ruling party, recalled the GD’s victory in 2012 by saying that the victory of October 1 had brought freedom to the country and an “uninterrupted” 12-year period of peace.

“The country's budget and economy increased three times, we have development and progress in all areas, the country was granted the European Union membership candidate status, we received a visa-free travel with the EU and free trade, other big markets were opened, the Chinese market, the Russian market, the country has become stable and the situation is predictable”, he noted.

He further highlighted the role of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and the Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, “in defeating” the former United National Movement party Government.

“Almost everyone had lost hope of defeating the great evil [UNM party], but Bidzina Ivanishvili appeared, who defeated the evil force, oppressing our people and attained a historic victory on October 1 [in 2012]”, Garibashvili said.

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling GD party, stressed that the country did not need “masters” but “friends”.

He noted that Georgian citizens had only one choice - “to protect peace, dignity, prosperity of their families” for the European future of the country.

“The interests of Georgia will not be sold! The interests of Georgia and its citizens were and are the primary task for the Georgian Dream party, and this is the reason why external forces are fighting us furiously”, Kaladze said.

Mamuka Mdinararadze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling party, claimed he hoped the citizens would support the Georgian Dream party in the upcoming parliamentary elections “to ban” the United National Movement party and other “agent network” parties to have a constitutional readiness for the reunification of the country in a “peaceful way”.

“On October 26, the Georgian people will elect us with a constitutional majority in order to ban LGBT propaganda at the level of the  Constitution and save the Georgian nation from degeneration”, he noted.

Mdinaradze also stressed the necessity to strengthen the role of the Orthodox Church.