Local elections underway in Georgia: Bidzina Ivanishvili emphasises freedom, civic maturity

Today marks another important day in Georgia’s recent history, said Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and Honorary Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, as the country holds local self-government elections.
Ivanishvili, who has already cast his vote, described the free elections as a cornerstone of Georgia’s recent history.

“Today is another significant day in our country’s recent history. Free elections, which have been consistently held in Georgia in recent times, are today as important and meaningful as ever”, Ivanishvili said.

He underlined that the ruling party has given society the opportunity to make free choices, just as it has established the foundations of free speech, free enterprise, and free life over the past years.

“It has been 13 years since the Georgian Dream came to power. Together with the public, we have achieved impressive progress in every field. Yet, the greatest accomplishment of all is that both our party members and society as a whole have learned to think critically, to analyze objectively, and to distinguish truth from falsehood”, he noted.

He emphasised that Georgian citizens are now able to differentiate between right and wrong, and as a result, the country continues to achieve the outcomes that reflect the will of the people.

“The development of civil society, the ability of our citizens to take responsibility for their choices and express their positions clearly during elections, has led us to the impressive results and progress we see in every area of national development”, Ivanishvili continued.

He emphasised that the Georgian public’s ability to discern truth from falsehood had rendered unobjective opposition rhetoric ineffective.

“No matter what statements our opponents make today, if they are not objective, Georgian society, as a rule, does not react to them. This is the greatest achievement for our society - that it has learned to distinguish white from black and make the right choice. I hope that today, too, society will be active, maximally mobilised, go to the polling stations, and make the right choice”, Ivanishvili concluded.

Local self-government elections are taking place in Georgia, with citizens voting to elect municipal council members and mayors for a four-year term.

Georgians are casting their ballots to select representatives to 64 local councils (Sakrebulo) and 64 mayors across the country.