Georgian Parliament Speaker accuses opposition of “anti-Georgian” stance ahead of local elections

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday criticised what he termed the “anti-Georgian opposition”, stating that their participation in the elections was “their problem”.

He asserted that the Georgian people would “never give a mandate” to such parties.

“These are openly declared anti-Georgian political groups, and their participation or non-participation will neither add to nor detract from the elections whatsoever. It is clear from their behaviour alone that the Georgian people will never give a mandate to these parties”, the Speaker said.

He further criticised what he described as foreign-backed attempts to return imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his allies to power.

“Just look at who the so-called European actors - who no longer hold anything truly European - are betting on. Ambassadors of certain countries actively tried to install people in power who reject democracy, who are frauds. And these same foreign diplomats speak to us about values? They have picked as favorites political groups completely devoid of values. These parties sealed their political fate when they signed on to serve foreign interests against their own people. That’s when they failed - as Georgians and as politicians”, Papuashvili continued.

The Speaker also denounced the behaviour of opposition figures, claiming their only activity involves traveling abroad for instructions.

“Have you seen any of them engage locally - visit regions or meet with the public? No. The only place they go is abroad, to get instructions and return to carry them out”, he added.

Commenting on internal divisions within the opposition, Papuashvili pointed out that their infighting, their bullying - that was their own internal problem.

“These are puppet figures entirely controlled from the outside. They want Georgia’s future to be decided in other capitals, not here. Some of them have even publicly said they hope for rockets to be fired on Tbilisi - remember Toresa Mossy who said “it might take one accurate strike on Rustaveli Avenue to ‘fix’ things here”, Papuashvili said.

“We see encouragement and funding of hate from the EU budget, with millions spent to promote this kind of atmosphere. They’ll take the money - millions or even a few coins - and carry out their assigned tasks”, he added.

Papuashvili also responded to reports that the opposition party Lelo was expecting $15 million in foreign funding, noting “whether it's financial or political support, it’s clear they are completely dependent on foreign forces”.

“I’ve also heard this from the media. We saw this during the last parliamentary elections, when even ambassadors got involved to try and bring anti-Georgian forces to power. But not even $15 million - or $115 million - can help a movement that is fundamentally anti-Georgian. Such groups will never succeed in Georgia”, the Speaker concluded.