Georgia’s opposition must decide now on local election participation, expert warns

Kakha Gogolashvili, a Senior-Fellow and the Director of European Studies at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, on Tuesday warned that Georgia's opposition parties "must urgently declare" their intentions regarding upcoming local elections this Autumn, arguing that time was running out to mount an effective challenge to the ruling party.

He further noted discussions over whether to participate in the elections were already overdue, stressing that the focus should now shift to preparing for a meaningful contest.

“Talking about local elections is not too early, but late,” Gogolashvili said. “The most important thing right now is for the opposition to declare whether they will participate in the elections. It’s crucial to consolidate forces and channel the momentum of this protest toward encouraging people to vote under a new reality”, he added. 

He also stressed the process was about changing the electoral environment and ensuring that opposition forces participate - “fighting to wrest at least some power from Georgian Dream”.