Ruling party official says reluctance of opposition to participate in local elections due to certainty of crushing defeat

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Tuesday said the reluctance of the domestic opposition to participate in the upcoming local elections scheduled for October was due to the certainty of a crushing defeat.

In his remarks at a plenary session of the Parliament, Machavariani noted that despite attempts by three radical opposition parties to distance themselves from the United National Movement, the reality was quite the opposite.

“You are avoiding participation in the local elections because you know you are fully exposed. You know that your approval ratings have plummeted, that you have zero chance of success, and that even the smallest victory is unimaginable for you. You are fully aware that the Georgian Dream [party] will decisively defeat you in all 64 municipalities because our people want a national Government - one that makes decisions about Georgia within Georgia”, he said.

He further asserted that these opposition forces had persistently attempted to create an artificial crisis in the country, sending damaging reports to Brussels.

“This is the reality, and the public can see it clearly. No matter how hard they try to create the illusion of division, the facts prove that they are part of the same collective United National Movement”, Machavariani concluded.