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Opposition leader criticizes Ivanishvili’s statement, calls for change ahead of 2024 elections

In a social media post, Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the opposition party For Georgia, sharply criticized ruling Georgian Dream (GD) founder and Honorary Chair, Bidzina Ivanishvili’s recent letter marking the anniversary of the 2012 election victory. Gakharia described the letter as a “self-confession” and the clearest evidence that, just 25 days before the 2024 elections, Georgia remains in the same spot as it was in 2012—„mired in corruption, nepotism, politicized public services, and weakened institutions.”

Gakharia emphasized that on October 1, 2012, the core value of the Georgian Dream party was the dignity of the individual.

“We all believed that we were sincerely fighting against an unjust judiciary system and to free public service and state institutions from partisan influence. The declared political goal of the GD in 2012 was to establish multiparty democracy, pursue European integration, and end political messianism,” he wrote.

Reflecting on the past 12 years, Gakharia expressed disappointment, stating that the ruling party had abandoned its original values. He criticized Ivanishvili for repeatedly mentioning “dignity” in his letter, arguing that this highlighted the party’s current failure to uphold it.
He also accused the GD leadership of transforming into a deceitful political elite, no longer committed to protecting human rights, comparing it to the actions of the previous government under the United National Movement (UNM).

For Georgia leader further alleged that Georgian Dream is now using
fear and intimidation to manipulate the public, utilizing the same violent tactics against citizens that the UNM once employed. Instead of reforming the judiciary, he said, the ruling party has co-opted corrupt elements from the old system to solidify its own power.

“The government, whose stated political goal was to improve living conditions and combat poverty and unemployment, now fights for corruption, not against it,” he stated, adding that while the people become poorer, the political elite protects the wealth they have accumulated.

Gakharia concluded by calling on the Georgian public to unite, just as they did in 2012, to defeat both the Georgian Dream and the United National Movement in the upcoming elections. He urged voters to repeat October 1, 2012, on October 26, 2024, by staying true to the values of dignity, peace, and prosperity, and to lead the country toward a better future.

Ivanishvili released a statement on Tuesday, and cautioned against alleged foreign agents and internal forces destabilizing the country, drawing comparisons to Ukraine’s war and emphasizing the stakes of the upcoming election as “pivotal for Georgia’s survival”. He framed the forthcoming elections as a choice between “survival and collapse” for Georgia, urging the electorate to support his party in the pursuit of a “peaceful and prosperous nation”.

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