Opposition leader Elene Khoshtaria ends hunger strike as opposition parties announce local election boycott


Author
Front News Georgia
Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Coalition for Change, has officially ended her hunger strike outside the Georgian Parliament, stating that the political opposition is moving into a more "active phase of struggle." Former MP Gedevan Popkhadze, who had also joined the hunger strike, has likewise announced its conclusion, according to the coalition’s press office.
Khoshtaria made the announcement after reading a joint statement on behalf of eight opposition parties, which declared their decision to boycott the upcoming local self-government elections, citing the deteriorating political environment and alleging the existence of a “Russian-style authoritarian regime” in Georgia.
“I am very glad to end the hunger strike and move together with everyone into a very active phase of the fight,” Khoshtaria told supporters gathered outside Parliament.
The joint statement, signed by the following groups — Freedom Square, Droa, Girchi–More Freedom, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, European Georgia, Akhali, and The Federalists — outlines their unified decision to withdraw from participating in the elections, arguing that taking part would only “serve to legitimize the unlawful Russian regime.”
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