Georgian Dream Official Credits Bidzina Ivanishvili as Driving Force Behind 2012 Election Victory

Dimitri Samkharadze, regional secretary of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, has described Bidzina Ivanishvili as the central figure and driving force behind the party’s landmark victory in the October 1, 2012 parliamentary election.

In a social media post marking the anniversary, Samkharadze said October 1 had entered Georgia’s political history as a day of major change and remained particularly significant for those who took part in the political struggle of that period.

“October 1 is a day that has remained in Georgian political history as a day of great change. It was a struggle that had its purpose, responsibility and price. For those who stood in this process at the time, this date is not merely a day marked on the calendar it is a reminder of their journey, unity and struggle,” Samkharadze wrote.

He said Ivanishvili played a decisive role in the events leading to Georgian Dream’s 2012 victory, citing his decision to enter politics, assume responsibility and lead the political process during what he described as a particularly difficult period.

“Bidzina Ivanishvili holds a special place in this historic process. His political decision, his willingness to assume responsibility and his decision to take the lead in the country’s political process at that difficult time became the key factor that made change genuinely possible,” Samkharadze said.

He claimed that the United National Movement, which was in power at the time, had not intended to relinquish power peacefully and argued that Ivanishvili’s leadership was instrumental in bringing about the political change that culminated in Georgian Dream’s election victory on October 1, 2012.

“Today, many want to take credit for this historic victory, but the main driving force and central figure behind this process was Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Samkharadze said.

The Georgian Dream official also argued that Ivanishvili’s political role extended well beyond the 2012 election, crediting him with shaping Georgia’s subsequent political trajectory and with what Samkharadze described as maintaining peace in the country.

“Today, when we have peace in Georgia, this too is, first and foremost, the achievement of that one person Bidzina Ivanishvili who assumed responsibility at the most difficult moment and made a decision of fundamental importance for the country,” he said.

Samkharadze described October 1 as a day of “victory, unity and a historic decision” and congratulated Georgian Dream supporters who participated in the political movement that brought the party to power.

“I congratulate the true soldiers of Georgian Dream everyone who stood alongside this struggle during those historic days and for whom October 1 remains part of a special chapter in history,” Samkharadze wrote.