Georgian Parliament Speaker: domestic opposition agenda changes based on foreign signals

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday criticised the domestic radical opposition, claiming that its political decisions have been driven by foreign influence rather than the will of Georgian voters.

Papuashvili’s comments came after the visiting US State Department delegation issued an official statement, published by the US Embassy in Georgia, noting that “a functioning democracy requires a political opposition that interacts with state institutions to represent the interests of the citizens who voted for them”.

He noted that the opposition’s political agenda changes depending on messages received from abroad, which he described as a source of embarrassment.

“We have seen the attitude of President Trump’s administration toward attempts to change governments outside democratic processes and toward the boycott of democratic institutions. This is where people end up when they listen not to their own voters but to the leadership of a foreign country”, he said.

“The radical opposition was pushed out of the Parliament by the Biden administration in 2024. It was the Biden administration that encouraged the radical opposition to give up its mandates, and today they are facing the consequences of listening not to the Georgian people but to a foreign Government. It is due to the Biden administration and Brussels that they have become a radical street opposition, which even attempted to overthrow the government through violence”, Papuashvili noted.

He emphasised that some opposition leaders are currently serving sentences for calls to overthrow the Government.

The Speaker said the developments should serve as a lesson for Georgian society, warning against building political agendas based on external guidance rather than domestic public opinion.