“The party should not be abolished; it should be defeated through elections,” stated MP Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia party.

He believes that the primary purpose of establishing a political party is to participate in elections.

“We simply cannot understand the logic of the Georgian Dream. We have been prepared for all possible outcomes. For us, aligning Lelo with the United National Movement remains completely unclear. We are well aware of the crimes these parties have committed, but a political party should be defeated through democratic elections. Therefore, the party shouldn’t be abolished; it should be challenged at the ballot box. Over the past year, these parties have taken a path of boycott. In effect, they have self-banned themselves. They claim that there is no point in anything except street protests and overthrow. Then, why do you need a party at all? A party exists to participate in elections.

Despite the imbalance in the struggle, we and Lelo have participated in the elections. A political party exists precisely for that purpose.

I find their outrage somewhat incomprehensible, because they are the ones who have effectively banned themselves. They say they don’t want elections and that nothing matters without street protests and an overthrow. They claim that after overthrowing the government and repealing all laws, they will participate in future elections. Yet, once they succeed in repealing other anti-democratic laws, they will also overturn this constitutional decision. Our stance remains clear: to defeat the government through democratic elections,” Sharashidze explained.

MP Sharashidze also pointed out that with the entry of the Gakharia for Georgia party into Parliament, the Georgian Dream faces a brave new opponent.

“We are committed to consistent politics. Our principled approach has served us well. We do not see the need for a party solely to defeat the government. These parties say they don’t need one, so how else are we supposed to respond? They themselves admit that they cannot change the government through elections, claiming that something is going wrong. Well, we will change it through the ballot box. We entered the Parliament one day and made a difference. Georgian Dream fears a different voice because they see that they now have a courageous opponent,” Sharashidze concluded.