Gakharia doesn’t rule out running in upcoming local elections in Georgia

The leader of the opposition party For Georgia, Giorgi Gakharia, has said his party is preparing for all future elections, and did not rule out participating in October’s local elections.

Speaking on the opposition-leaning channel TV Pirveli on Tuesday, Gakharia said For Georgia may or may not participate in the local self-government elections, and that they were not ready to make this decision yet.

There has been debate among opposition groups whether or not to boycott October’s vote, as calls for new parliamentary elections continue following the widespread violations witnessed during last October’s vote.

When asked by a journalist about participating in the October elections if parliamentary elections were not held ahead of this, Gakharia replied that ‘of course, there is a chance’.

‘The point is that we have said many times that any political party should always prepare for any election’, he said.

Gakharia added that whether the government chose to hold new parliamentary elections before or after the municipal elections, or not at all, the demand by the opposition and protesters to do so would not disappear.

‘I am saying one thing, we are preparing for any next election because if you are a political party, you should always be ready for elections’.

Asked what would happen if parliamentary and municipal elections were not held together, Gakharia said they would then decide ‘whether or not to participate’.

‘You don’t categorically refuse [to take part in the elections]?’ the journalist asked in a follow-up question.

‘Of course we don’t’, Gakharia replied. ‘We repeat and confirm to you, we don’t categorically refuse, and no one can force us to do so. This is for me and our voters to decide, and no amount of pressure [can convince us]’.

Municipal elections in Georgia are scheduled for 4 October, but as of the time of this publication, it is unclear which opposition groups plan to participate.

On Tuesday, Giorgi Baramidze, the Political Secretary of the opposition group Unity — National Movement, announced that ‘under this “Kadyrovisation” and “Belarusisation” situation, we are not going to participate in the elections, nor will any other normal party’.

Demonstrations against the government’s foreign policy shift away from the West, a raft of new repressive laws, and the conduct of the October 2024 parliamentary elections are continuing in the country.

The political crisis deepened when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced in late November that the government was halting Georgia’s EU bid until 2028, sparking daily mass protests during which more than 400 demonstrators were reported to have been detained thus far.

Since the protests began, police and unidentified masked men have assaulted a number of protesters, including numerous journalists covering the protests.

Vice speaker of Georgian parliament calls journalist severely beaten by police a ‘crooked person’

Guram Rogava was severely injured after being beaten by a riot police officer during a crackdown on a pro-EU demonstration.

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