Anti-Western People’s Power leaves parliamentary majority to form “healthy opposition” amid tensions

The political group People’s Power, known for its anti-Western rhetoric, on Friday announced its decision to leave the ruling Georgian Dream’s parliamentary majority amid ongoing protests against the “rigged” October elections, the halted EU integration and the opposition’s boycott to the state legislature.

The move, according to party leader Guram Macharashvili, is aimed at addressing the perceived lack of a “healthy opposition” in Georgian politics.

Speaking to the Public Broadcaster, Macharashvili claimed, “unfortunately, there is practically no opposition in Georgia today that fulfills its role — to debate and criticize the government for the country’s development. Instead, we have a so-called radical opposition financed by foreign forces. To address this, we have decided to leave the parliamentary majority and establish a healthy opposition in Georgia.”

Founded in August 2022 by former Georgian Dream MPs Sozar Subari, Mikheil Kavelashvili – now a presidential candidate, Dimitri Khundadze, and Macharashvili, People’s Power has often been associated with anti-Western rhetoric and accusations against Georgia’s Western allies, including claims of interference by the US embassy.

The group gained further notoriety in 2023 by initiating the controversial foreign transparency law, which sparked mass protests and criticism from international partners, who warned it could hinder Georgia’s European integration aspirations.

Despite their departure, Macharashvili emphasized there were no fundamental disagreements with Georgian Dream, and the party remained committed to its stated mission of “equipping society with truth.”

The group’s alignment with the ruling party was evident in the October 2024 elections, where People’s Power members, including Kavelashvili, ran on Georgian Dream’s list.