Lelo’s Japaridze: Agree with President Zourabichvili, no elections on October 4 — this is battle we must enter

“We agree with President Salome Zourabichvili—elections will not be held on October 4! This is a battle, and we are entering it with a fight, together with the Georgian people,” wrote Badri Japaridze, one of the leaders of the opposition Lelo party, in a post on his Facebook page.

Japaridze also expressed full agreement with Zourabichvili on the issue of boycotting the elections.

“With regard to boycott, we fully agree that under an authoritarian regime, a boycott is doomed to failure. It is not a viable option. My team and I have always been not only supporters but initiators of unity—and we remain so today. We reaffirm our support for the protest movement and are ready to actively contribute to its strengthening. The status quo must be broken. The European Parliament has repeatedly urged us to unite and seize this opportunity. We agree that the electoral environment has deteriorated, is full of challenges, and many political leaders remain imprisoned. To prevent Georgian Dream from maintaining the current state, an uncompromising struggle is essential!” he stated.

As Zourabichvili noted in her statement: “If anyone in this country believes that local elections will be held, that’s a grand myth. Elections don’t exist – only the topic of elections exists, which has been deliberately planted by Georgian Dream.”