Levan Bezhashvili, an MP of the United National Movement opposition party, on Monday said the United States and the European Union were expecting the change of the current Georgian Dream authorities “in a constitutional and legal way” through the 2024 parliamentary elections. 

The comment came following the latest interview of David Arakhamia, the Ukrainian MP of Georgian origin, who claimed the current Georgian authorities would not be able to stay in office following the race. 

Bezhashvili contradicted the position of the Georgian Dream members that Arakhamia’s comments were an interference in Georgia’s internal issues, and said the Ukrainian lawmaker “just voiced the position” of the country’s western partners, stressing the GD authorities “do not represent the position of the Georgian people”. 

In his interview for the opposition-minded Mtavari channel on the weekend, Arakhamia also said the Georgian people, not its government, deserved the European Union membership candidate status.