Georgian President vows to lead opposition unity “under European flag” in elections to change Gov’t

Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s President, announced on Wednesday her commitment to spearhead opposition unity in the upcoming October general elections, aiming to replace the current Georgian Dream authorities following their resubmission of the contentious foreign agents bill.

During her press briefing, Zourabichvili reiterated her stance against the draft law, labeling it as a “Russian law” and accusing the Georgian Dream government of being aligned with Russian interests. She condemned the bill, emphasizing the need for Georgia to assert its European values through the democratic process of elections.

With the elections looming, Zourabichvili called for mobilization and unity under a “single European flag,” stressing the importance of a collective effort towards securing an independent and European future for Georgia. She clarified that rallying under the European flag did not mandate party unification but rather symbolized a broader consensus around European values.

“We must approach the elections with maximum mobilization, united under one European flag – potentially with multiple parties but aligned under a shared European vision,” Zourabichvili emphasized. “This signifies the expansion and consolidation of our society, a national consensus on Europe, and I will champion this cause until the end.”

In March 2023, the initial attempt to pass the “Foreign Agents” law faced significant opposition and ultimately failed. Despite objections from various sectors of Georgian society and the opposition, the parliament approved the draft law “On the transparency of foreign influence” in its first reading on March 7, 2023, leading to clashes during protests and injuries to several citizens.

Georgian Dream’s parliamentary majority has rebuffed accusations of aligning with Russian interests or impeding European integration, asserting that transparency and public awareness were the primary aims of the proposed legislation.