Ex-President Zourabichvili: Gov’t has taken Georgia ‘one step closer to Russian model’


Author
Front News Georgia
Georgia’s fifth President, Salome Zourabichvili, on Wednesday condemned the Government’s recent actions against non-governmental organisations, warning the country was moving closer to a Russian-style regime.
Speaking at a briefing, Zourabichvili described the seizure of NGO assets as based on “absurd accusations” and said the measures amount to a form of repression.
“We cannot fail to understand that this Government has taken Georgia one step closer to the Russian model, and the formation of the Russian regime continues at a very rapid pace”, she said.
“What is happening today to NGOs and the accusations that have been made are absurd and only a form of the repressive regime that we saw earlier in Russia. The only difference is that it is developing faster in Georgia than in Russia at the time”, she added.
The former President said the pressure on civil society mirrored Moscow’s tactics and posed a direct threat to Georgia’s independence.
“It turns out that we have to come to terms with this. Today, the time has come for society to come to terms, but coming to terms means handing the country over to Russia. I do not think that Georgia is ready to surrender. If I believed that, I would not be here. I believe that Georgia will never surrender”, she added.
Zourabichvili also linked the developments to wider democratic backsliding, noting that the attacks on NGOs coincide with what she called “unfounded” and “unproven” allegations after months of legal pressure.
In her remarks, the former President criticised opposition parties for continuing to prepare for local elections despite what she sees as a more fundamental national crisis.
“I cannot help but address those parties that are playing with participation in the local elections today. Where is the country, and where is there any election campaign that can convince someone these elections will change something? Our task is to save the future of the country, to save the independence of Georgia”, she said.
The comments come amid growing political tension after the Prosecutor’s Office froze the accounts of seven NGOs as part of an ongoing investigation, prompting condemnation from civil society groups and Western partners.
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Salome Zourabichvili