Georgian PM: opposition’s fragmentation boosts Georgian Dream party’s election prospects

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday declared that the domestic radical opposition’s fragmentation significantly enhances the ruling Georgian Dream party’s chances of securing victories in all 64 municipalities in the upcoming local self-government elections scheduled for October 4.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze highlighted the opposition’s split, noting, “for us, the main thing is to express our attitude. We are not interested in what reactions there will be”.

“The important thing is that we made a specific decision, which demonstrates our full openness toward OSCE/ODIHR and the election observation process in general. As for others’ reactions, we were not interested in them in the past, nor are we now. For us, the main thing is what the objective truth and reality are. In general, the radical opposition is in a very dire state, which they brought upon themselves. Of course, we contributed to this, but primarily, they and their patrons drove the radical opposition to this state. Today, the radical opposition is completely disintegrated, split in two. One party - the United National Movement and Akhali - declare participation in the elections as betrayal, while the other party - Khazaradze and Gakharia, two parties - are participating in the elections”, the PM said.

The PM emphasised that this division strengthens the Georgian Dream party’s position.

“The radical opposition has been split tactically, which is very good. This helps us, and we subjectively approve of it, as it makes it easier for us to win both mayoral and council elections in all 64 municipalities”, he noted.

Kobakhidze further cited recent polling, indicating that the party’s current rating exceeds the 54.5 percent it secured domestically in the 2024 parliamentary elections, projecting over 60 percent support in the upcoming elections.

“In this situation, our rating today far exceeds the rating recorded before the parliamentary elections. Accordingly, if we received 54.5 percent domestically in the previous case, we now expect to receive more than 60 percent. Likewise, in the case of Tbilisi and other cities, we expect to win the mayoral elections in the first round everywhere. Given the current situation, this is not only realistic but an established fact, considering the ratings presented by our research organizations”, the PM concluded.