Ruling party Executive Secretary accuses domestic opposition of “inciting rebellion after failing to spark uprising”

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling party Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed domestic “radical opposition” had “failed to create an uprising, chaos, coup, and war” in the country and was now “attempting to incite the public to rebel” following parliamentary elections held last month.

Mdinaradze’s comments followed a statement by Nika Gvaramia, the founder of the Mtavari Arkhi TV channel and Ahali opposition party, who on Monday told local media that “politicians do not cause uprisings, [or] change illegitimate regimes - politicians participate in this [process]. It is the people who do it”.

The ruling party official dismissed the opposition’s “ability to incite an uprising or change the situation in any direction”, accusing them of “attempting to shift blame for their weaknesses onto the people by calling for an uprising”.

Mdinaradze claimed the opposition had “zero political resources” and said voters had “not granted them any legitimacy” in the elections.