Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen warns over “overthrow” rhetoric: state will respond firmly

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Sunday expressed strong opposition to what he described as “nonsense” calls for an overthrow or revolution, stating that he does not want fellow citizens to participate in such processes.

In his remarks, Kaladze claimed that external forces were working against the country and peace, using universities as a channel to bring in funds that, according to him, fuel discord and destabilisation ahead of the upcoming local elections scheduled for Saturday.

“You know that external forces are fighting against our country and peace. Now they are bringing in money through universities, and the greatest tragedy is that these funds are spent on evil. This money is used to pit society against itself, to stage state overthrows and revolutions - this is extremely dangerous. No matter what political views people hold, I do not want the citizens of my country to be involved in this filth”, the ruling party official said.

“We hear nonsense: overthrow, coup… there will be the strictest reaction from the state. I do not want my fellow citizens to participate in this process. Some are tempted, spending foreign money - terrorism and extremism are grave matters. We must be careful. Our relevant services work 24/7 and are on high alert. We will do everything to preserve peace”, he concluded.