“Friends from Lelo, stop breaking the strike. Haven’t your own experiences taught you anything?” former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili writes on social media.

According to Saakashvili, only a united opposition, standing from a position of strength, can engage effectively with the dictatorship.

“Otherwise, it’s called collaborationism and betrayal of the people. Either we will stand together, or we will disappear. Victory comes through an uncompromising, relentless fight. Those who fight win, not those who kneel and beg for mercy. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that this ‘initiative’ was launched amid the increased activity of the opposition alliance. Such actions are very threatening to the regime. I sincerely hope that soon we will unite with Lelo in a decisive battle,” Saakashvili affirms.

For context, Lelo–Strong Georgia issued a statement following a meeting of the party’s leadership council, emphasising the need to commence responsible political negotiations between the Georgian Dream and opposition parties that secured the support of the majority of Georgians in the 2024 parliamentary elections.