“A hunger strike against the opposition is, to put it mildly, incomprehensible – I won’t use harsher words because a person is on hunger strike,” stated Ana Buchukuri, a member of Gakharia for Georgia, opposition party.

According to Buchukuri, her party will participate in the elections, and “no form of blackmail can influence this decision.”

“I wish Elene Khoshtaria health and endurance. This is a difficult decision for a person physically, and I urge her to end the hunger strike.

A hunger strike aimed at forcing the opposition toward some action or restraining them from action does not weaken the regime, but rather helps it. That’s why I say this is an incomprehensible act, especially a hunger strike against parties whose leaders are partly in prison, or in Gakharia’s case, for example, he faces 15-20 years of imprisonment,” Buchukuri noted.

Elene Khoshtaria, one of the leaders of the Coalition for Change, announced that she would end her hunger strike if the opposition refuses to participate in the local elections.