Ivanishvili criticized for ignoring people’s issues, focusing on UNM destruction

Irakli Nadiradze, a member of the Unity – United National Movement opposition alliance, on Thursday criticized Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chair and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, for his recent election campaign address, describing him as a “frightened and wary oligarch” who had avoided appearing in public without a protective entourage.

Nadiradze pointed out that Ivanishvili had failed to address the pressing issues faced by Georgian citizens, including poverty, unemployment, and rising living costs, which he said had driven many, including children, into starvation. “He did not remember our young people, pensioners, the socially vulnerable, or the hundreds of thousands of citizens who have been forced to leave the country due to high living costs and unemployment,” Nadiradze said. Instead, he noted, Ivanishvili had focused on the destruction of the UNM and opposition forces aligned with the West.

This criticism came in response to Ivanishvili’s statements on Wednesday in the central Mtskheta city, where he emphasized the need for a constitutional majority to “ban” the UNM and its “satellite parties”.