Opposition division ahead of local elections 'positive' for ruling party, PM says

Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday said internal divisions within the opposition were “good” for the ruling Georgian Dream party ahead of local elections on October 4.

Speaking to the press, Kobakhidze noted that while some opposition parties planned to participate in the vote, others had rejected it, calling it illegitimate. He described these splits as evidence of weakness within the opposition.

“Radical opposition members have labelled Lelo and former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s [For Georgia] party as traitors for taking part in the elections. These developments are useful for the proper functioning of our democratic system,” he said.

The prime minister also claimed that Georgian Dream was positioned to win in all 64 municipalities, including 24 mayoral contests where, he said, there were no competitors.

Kobakhidze also criticised the opposition’s organisational efforts, highlighting 27 municipalities where opposition parties had allegedly failed to field candidates. He cited a Lelo employee in Tbilisi as an example of what he described as the opposition’s mismanagement.

“These are the results of the radical opposition’s own actions. Where they did manage to field candidates, it would have been better if they hadn’t,” he said.