Georgian Parliament Speaker hails people’s victory over coup plotters

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said that on October 4 the Georgian people achieved victory, while those who sought to stage a coup and drag the country back to the chaos of the 1990s were defeated.

In his remarks, Papuashvili Papuashvili stressed that democracy triumphed, as Georgians took to the polls not to participate in a coup, but to peacefully express their political will through elections.

“October 4 was a celebration of democracy. We saw that this was preceded by open calls for a coup and the overthrow of the government, as well as support from abroad. Unfortunately, there was even direct external backing for a pre-announced rally aimed at a state overthrow. But democracy prevailed. The Georgian people did not go out to stage a coup - they went out to polling stations to express their political will. The Georgian people won; those who aimed to overthrow the government and return the country to the 1990s were defeated”, the Speaker said.

He further added that the scenes staged on the evening of October 4 resembled images from the turbulent 1990s.

“The only difference is that some may remember those old images in black and white, while these were newer, in color. But the content and the malicious spirit were exactly the same. Once again, congratulations on successfully held elections”, Papuashvili noted.

The Speaker emphasised that the ruling Georgian Dream party’s pledge to secure first-round victories in all 64 municipalities had been fulfilled.