The Gakharia for Georgia party has ended its boycott of the Adjara Supreme Council. Party member Jemal Ananidze announced this decision at a briefing.
As Ananidze noted, the party is beginning active engagement in all legislative and representative bodies.
“Everyone is aware that following the October 26 parliamentary and Supreme Council elections, our political team unanimously decided to boycott Parliament and, in parallel, the Supreme Council.
However, today’s reality has clearly shown that the form of political protest chosen a year ago not only failed to halt and weaken the Georgian Dream government but actually strengthened it. In the shortest time, the Georgian Dream transformed itself into the foremost internal evil force hindering its own country’s progress. The boycott proved damaging not only to the state but to political parties as well, which Georgian Dream exploited, and by reinforcing society’s divided opinion, steered the population expressing peaceful protest to the October 4 provocation.
We bear some responsibility for the situation created in the country today, because a year ago we failed to convince society and the political spectrum that renouncing MP mandates would be a mistake, which would lead, and indeed has led, to an extremely aggravated political and social situation in the country,” Ananidze noted.
He further stated that the opposition’s disappearance from political processes left the people defenceless.
“The wholly unjustified, irresponsible and provocative processes announced and carried out on the day of the local government elections, October 4, so extremely aggravated the situation in the country that they damaged and set against each other the already weakened opposition spectrum, thereby giving the Georgian Dream grounds to justify strengthening its authoritarianism amongst its own small number of supporters.
Today, it is already clear to everyone that the opposition’s disappearance from political processes has left the people defenceless in the face of a regime which, to maintain its governmental power, does not shy away from persecuting dissenting opinion, imprisoning those who express critical views, and declaring and punishing all persons with differing opinions as criminals against the country. This is precisely why our main objective is to fight from within legislative bodies for the survival of different, healthy and progressive opinions,” Ananidze stated.
According to Ananidze, refusing to use the Adjara Supreme Council’s platform is both a mistake and a crime against the country.
“The situation created after October 4 has convinced us once again that not using the platforms of Parliament and the Supreme Council, particularly in this difficult period, is not only a mistake but a crime against the country and the people. We constantly maintained that the only legitimate way to fight a government whose trust amongst the population has diminished is through elections and the active use of the resulting mandates for a better future for the country and population.
With today’s statement, we reaffirm once again that we consider it vitally important that the different opinions of Georgia’s citizens, the population of our region, be heard in Parliament and councils, as well as in the Adjara Supreme Council. This is precisely why we are abandoning the boycott regime and beginning active engagement in all legislative and representative bodies, so that we may gradually return the country to a constitutional and democratic framework of development,” stated Jemal Ananidze.
Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia political council, announced at a briefing on Monday that the Gakharia for Georgia party has decided to enter Parliament. According to Sharashidze, failing to use the platform of Parliament and municipal assemblies is not merely a mistake but a crime against the country and its people.
