Free People’s Party’s Rakviashvili: Nika Gvaramia is no opposition politician; he’s a bought-and-paid-for fraudster

“Nika Gvaramia is not an opposition figure; he is a bought-and-paid-for fraudster. Gvaramia cannot be considered true opposition. We will prove this if only they sit down for a debate, but they run away; they are cowards,” the leader of the Free People’s Party [formerly Girchi], Aleksandre Rakviashvili, stated during a television broadcast.

He added: “Until voters and viewers understand this and learn to distinguish black from white, nothing will improve for them.”

“The entire narrative built up in the media and political discourse over the years is a complete lie. The idea that these people are opposition figures fighting Bidzina Ivanishvili is false. How can you fight Ivanishvili when you lose tens of millions by boycotting Parliament, dismantling party structures, abandoning regional networks, and giving up your platform to debate Georgian Dream directly? Where exactly is Georgian Dream lacking legitimacy? Which law could they not pass, which policy could they not enforce, or which individual could they not put away? Where are they struggling such that it benefits us? What legitimacy are they missing?” Rakviashvili stated.

Rakviashvili went on to question Gvaramia’s official campaign disclosures submitted to the Central Election Commission (CEC), claiming the reported spending figures were fabricated.

“Officially, Gvaramia reported spending GEL 10 million for the election, which is a lie. Gvaramia had thousands of employees, over 70 offices, and hundreds of staff seated in those offices. He has stated publicly that he employed thousands of people. How much do you think Gvaramia officially reported spending on salaries for the entire election period? In the official documents submitted to the CEC, he recorded GEL 60,000 in salaries over two months. That covers roughly ten employees, yet he had thousands.

The documentation submitted to the CEC is a complete fabrication. Mamuka Khazaradze was the first to calculate this – and he calculated it correctly – and when we double-checked, the real figure of GEL 40 million was indeed correct. This man tore the United National Movement (UNM) apart, wrecked it, poached its activists, drained its funds, and left it in ruins. Practically only Ana Tsitlidze remains of the UNM.

We were the only party in Parliament actually doing proper work while others were running around. We were the party that never compromised on its principles, even when MPs from the UNM and other parties sold out. You can name someone from almost every party who was bought off and acted without principle, except us.

When grandmothers and pensioners were donating GEL 60,000 each to Gvaramia, aren’t you curious who these heroic pensioners are? When the unemployed make GEL 60,000 donations, aren’t you curious who these unemployed individuals are? Gvaramia cannot represent the opposition. We will prove it if they sit down to debate, but they flee like cowards. They had one somewhat courageous figure in Nika Melia, and yes, the debate ended badly for him, but at least he showed up. No other courageous person is left there. If they show up to debate, I promise you, we will prove they are fraudsters,” Aleksandre Rakviashvili stated.