“On October 4, we will be at polling stations from morning, throughout the entire day,” Lana Galdava, the majoritarian candidate for Mtatsminda from the Lelo-Strong Georgia coalition and the Gakharia for Georgia party, stated live on GPB First Channel programme “Topic of the Day”.

“We have very important work, which will be expressing maximum attention towards our voters and then protecting their votes. Regarding the October 4 protest rally specifically, we are not the organisers of this rally, we are not part of that team, and we don’t know who the organising team is either. We are a citizens’ association; naturally, anyone who wishes can go. A protest absolutely doesn’t exclude our supporters from being at ballot boxes in the morning and then going in the evening,” declared Galdava.

When the programme host, Tamta Sanikidze, asked whether Lelo’s leaders would attend the rally, Lana Galdava declared that every person makes an individual decision.

“It is an association of free citizens. We cannot take responsibility for a rally we are not organising, but despite this, we are saying one thing: we should be at polling stations from morning until 20:00. Beyond this, who will join the rally and who won’t will be decided individually,” declared Galdava.

When the programme host asked whether her statement wasn’t contradictory, given that Lelo decided to go the electoral route, the party is participating in local government elections and, at the same time, doesn’t rule out joining the protest that implies this government should change not through elections but through revolution, Lana Galdava declared that Lelo entered these elections because the party considers these elections an additional, parallel form of struggle.

“We are in protest, we are at every rally that corresponds to Georgia’s national interests, whose demand is always calling for fresh elections and the release of political prisoners. We don’t join other rallies whose demand is boycotting, and whose content is sowing some division within the opposition. We don’t participate in rallies of such style.

Regarding the October 4 protest rally specifically, we are not amongst the organisers and, as of today, we don’t know what the exact demands of this rally are. We don’t know who the organising group is either, and who’s conducting this. Therefore, we will continue observing the process. With up to three weeks ahead, the demands may evolve, but our members and supporters should focus on being at polling stations first and then decide whether to participate in the October 4 protest rally.

We obviously cannot have a pre-declared position regarding something we are not organising and do not know what their strategy or action plan is, but generally, depending on one specific date is not expedient for us. We always say we are in a struggle daily. For us, struggle is today, struggle is tomorrow, struggle is on October 4 at polling stations, and struggle will be on October 5 too, until we achieve fresh parliamentary elections and achieve the release of political prisoners,” declared Galdava.

According to Galdava, Lelo set the best example of cooperation and showed society that political forces holding different positions can sit around a round table and present joint mayoral candidates.

When the programme host asked why their decision to participate in elections caused dissatisfaction within the team, since, for example, Saba Buadze first declared he would simply remain an ordinary party member and after Khazaradze and Japaridze’s release, a few days ago, he announced he was leaving the Strong Georgia-Lelo political association, Lana Galdava declared that Lelo – Strong Georgia is built on democratic principles, there are many people on the political council and, naturally, several people amongst them who had different positions could always and can now record their position within the framework of the association’s platform.