“Their unity was the result of instructions issued from external sources. It was not rooted in any ideology, love for the country, or the interests of the people; it was immediately evident that this unity was unlikely to endure,” stated Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze.

According to Kaladze, the unity of the Opposition Alliance was never a genuine political force but rather the product of instructions handed down from outside.

“I have no intention of interfering in anyone’s internal affairs; I will simply comment on what is visible on the surface. We all remember how, just a few weeks ago, this unity was announced to us with great hype and celebration. Yet it was plain from the very start that it was not built to last. It was something imposed, directives issued from abroad, and the results speak for themselves. It is perfectly clear for all to see how they now confront and hurl abuse at one another. These are people who are entirely directed from outside, who have no alignment whatsoever with the country’s interests, and who are enemies of the state,” Kaladze declared.

He went on to say that the alliance had proven wholly incapable of managing even the artificial unity it had been handed.

“They could not manage their own unity, so how on earth do they intend to govern a country, which is precisely what they claim to aspire to? I will say it once more: we all know what these people represent, where they take their orders from, who they are and who pulls their strings. Their unity was, of course, the result of instructions issued from abroad. It was not a unity grounded in any ideology, in love of country, or in the interests of the people. It was a directive from their patrons,” Kaladze stated.

When asked about the infighting and mutual accusations among civic activists, the Mayor stated that he would not be drawn into the specifics. However, it was clear that deep divisions and significant issues persisted within these groups.

“I cannot say how far the facts as reported correspond to the truth. The relevant authorities will no doubt take an interest, and an investigation will establish what actually happened, but what has been described is, without question, grave and deeply troubling,” Kaladze said.

On April 18, former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili wrote on social media: “Our path cannot be the Hungarian one, it must be the Georgian one. The Georgian way is revolution. You sit in your warm television studios and wonder why people aren’t coming out onto Rustaveli.”

Eight parties within the Opposition Alliance responded to the post with a statement of their own: “No single party has the right to declare itself the sole representative of the protest movement, or to position itself as a one-party or one-man leadership.”

Saakashvili then published a further post on April 21, writing: Friends, adjust your aim. It is high time you freed yourselves from using me as an excuse, focused entirely on the matter at hand, and if things do not work out, stop blaming Misha – just work harder.”

For reference, nine opposition parties announced the formation of the Opposition Alliance on March 2. Its members are: Ahali, Girchi, Droa, European Georgia, the United National Movement, the National Democratic Party, Freedom Square, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, and the Federalists.