Lelo’s Samadashvili advocates for Lelo to take its seats in Sakrebulo

Salome Samadashvili, a representative of the Lelo party, firmly believes that her party deserves its rightful place in the city council (sakrebulo).

“Regarding the quality of the elections held, yesterday we saw a statement from the European Union, which made it clear that it is impossible to consider these elections as genuinely democratic in Georgia today. If Georgian Dream attempted to deceive anyone into believing it possessed the resources to influence local elections and that relations with the European Union would be impacted, it failed.

Nonetheless, we entered this battle precisely because we refused to leave the Georgian people alone in places where they face particularly difficult circumstances, allowing Georgian Dream to dominate. Our representatives are committed to protecting the interests of the Georgian citizens on the ground, and this will continue as long as necessary. I believe that Georgian Dream will be compelled to call new parliamentary elections shortly. Despite immense pressure, our members and supporters have offered themselves to serve the Georgian people, to defend their interests and uphold the will of our voters, who voted for our political union despite the hardships they face. They deserve our respect,” said Samadashvili.

When asked whether it was appropriate to renounce her parliamentary mandate to serve on the city council, she responded:

“The Russian parliament no longer holds legitimacy today, not even in the eyes of the international community, especially following the opposition’s decision. We refused to hold parliamentary representation under these circumstances, and I believe that was the only right decision. City councils do not shape foreign policy; their focus is on addressing local challenges and issues. We are not going to leave a society already impoverished and abandoned by the corrupt Russian regime to face its problems alone in city councils.”

According to legislation, parties that surpass the 4 per cent electoral threshold are entitled to a corresponding number of mandates in the city councils. Lelo exceeded this threshold in both Tbilisi (9.938%) and the regions (6.715%).