Lelo – Strong Georgia announces participation in local elections to fight against "Russian regime"

The political coalition Lelo – Strong Georgia has officially announced it will participate in Georgia’s upcoming local elections scheduled for October 4, 2025. The decision was revealed during a special briefing held at the party’s headquarters on Saturday, where one of the coalition’s leaders, Irakli Kupradze, framed the move as an entry into a crucial new front against what he described as a “Russian regime” in Georgia.

“After weeks of attempted negotiations, communications, and hopes for unity, we delayed this decision. But ‘Strong Georgia’ has its own path, and no one—not even Ivanishvili’s puppet president—can steer us off it,” Kupradze said, referring to the ruling party’s influence over state institutions. “This path is an uncompromising fight on every possible battlefield.”

Kupradze emphasized that the coalition is not treating the vote as a standard local election, but rather as a political struggle against what they see as a de facto regime holding de facto elections.

“This is not merely a municipal vote; it is a battle against a de facto power. We are entering this fight for every citizen of Georgia, and we will continue until we achieve victory,” he stated.

The announcement comes amid heightened political tension in Georgia, with parts of the opposition declaring a boycott of the elections and accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of authoritarian backsliding and suppressing democratic freedoms.