Georgian expert urges opposition to contest local elections despite democratic concerns

Kakha Gogolashvili, a Senior-Fellow and the Director of the European Studies at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, has called on Georgia's opposition parties to participate in the upcoming local elections, warning that refusing to take part would be a strategic mistake amid growing concerns over democratic backsliding in the country.

"In such a situation, you cannot win as many mandates as you deserve, but you must win as many as possible and not miss any opportunity," Gogolashvili said, urging the opposition to use "all legal means" to resist what he described as the country’s drift towards authoritarianism.

His comments come amid heightened tensions surrounding Georgia’s electoral environment and the government’s decision not to invite observers from the OSCE/ODIHR for the upcoming polls. 

Gogolashvili stressed that while frustrations within the opposition are understandable, withdrawing from the elections entirely would only serve to weaken democratic resistance. "Retreating from the very beginning and going into the shadows because they have no hope of winning is an absolute mistake," he said.

He also cautioned against allowing the debate over election participation to turn hostile, noting that "discussion is necessary so that people can think rationally and make rational, not emotional, decisions."