Speaker Papua­shvili: televised debates gaining momentum as public demands discussion over populism

Speaker of Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Sunday said televised debates are gaining momentum in the media space, arguing that citizens are demanding substantive discussion rather than confrontation.

In a social media post, Papuashvili stated that the growing interest in debates is driven by public demand for “conversation instead of shouting, reasoning instead of populism, arguments instead of slogans.”

He criticised what he described as the “radicalised opposition,” accusing it of betraying its own voters by offering “street chaos instead of politics” and “barricades instead of institutional mechanisms.” According to him, voters ultimately turned their backs on what he called a political “adventure.”

The Speaker also alleged that opposition figures had deliberately encouraged young people to engage in unlawful actions, describing it as a calculated strategy. He claimed that protest participants were pushed to the forefront and placed in confrontation with the law, the state and the constitution.

Papuashvili further argued such tactics reflect a broader strategy aimed at provoking instability and exploiting the consequences for political gain. He said individuals facing legal consequences are being publicly portrayed as victims, while, in his view, the circumstances leading to their arrests are being overlooked.

Concluding his remarks, Papuashvili described the developments as a deliberate political approach centered on radicalisation and confrontation, rather than what he called isolated mistakes.