Georgian Parliament official says opposition parties seek justification for their decision to participate in upcoming local elections

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Friday commented on the opposition’s participation in the upcoming 2025 local self-government elections, highlighting that while the opposition had previously stated they would not take part in any elections, two parties had already confirmed participation.

In his remarks, Machavariani noted that other opposition parties were seeking justification for their decision to participate.

“The statement made from the European Parliament is another kind of opportunity for them to justify themselves. If they participate - let them participate, no one is stopping them. If they don’t participate - it won’t take anything away from Georgia or the development of democratic processes. We are ready for any configuration. They might receive instructions to split into four parties, or they might be told to unite, for example, around Paata Burchuladze, just as they were previously united around Ms. Zourabichvili. This makes no difference to us. We have already started our campaign work and will win by a large margin in all 64 municipalities”, Machavariani said.

The official concluded by expressing a preference for full opposition participation, as it would allegedly reveal their true public support.

“It would be very good if everyone participates, as their real ratings will be exposed, and they will be completely embarrassed in front of their voters”, he noted.

Machavariani further claimed that following the 2020 parliamentary elections, opposition parties misled voters with unproven claims of election fraud, resulting in a sharp decline in their popularity.