Georgian PM affirms Parliament’s legitimacy regardless of opposition participation

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party's election staff and the Prime Minister of Georgia, on Sunday emphasised it was up to the domestic opposition whether or not they choose to enter the Parliament, stating “we cannot waste time on that, either way, the Parliament will be legitimate”.

Speaking at a press briefing, Kobakhidze noted “none of them [the opposition] are interesting for parliamentary work, either in terms of party content or human resources”.

The Prime Minister's comments particularly singled out certain parties, referring to them as variations of the United National Movement.

You know which parties we are talking about and the individuals involved within them. We’re speaking about the National Movement, as well as the second, third, and fourth National Movements”, he said.

Kobakhidze also noted the situation had changed since previous years and the opposition could not repeat the actions that he claimed had harmed the country.

You cannot step into the same river twice, therefore, they cannot repeat the same processes they implemented in this country four years ago, which aimed to undermine our country’s interests. They will not be able to do the same things again”, he said.

“In any case, the Parliament will be legitimate”, Kobakhidze concluded, reiterating that the opposition should decide to enter the Parliament or not, and the Government would not be drawn into concerns about their attendance.