Opposition party Lelo member Salome Samadashvili criticized calls for an election boycott, warning that abstaining from voting benefits Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“In my view, this is a serious mistake. Anyone who does not participate in the elections is effectively helping Bidzina Ivanishvili,” Samadashvili said on Formula TV.

According to her, Ivanishvili’s strategy is to discourage opposition supporters from participating in the vote, a tactic that has also been used in Russia and other countries in the region.

“When you are an opposition voter and do not oppose the regime even at the ballot box, you are helping the regime to strengthen its positions. For Bidzina Ivanishvili, this means an even stronger consolidation of power. He will claim that there is no alternative, no political parties capable of contesting elections. This, in reality, only strengthens the regime,” Samadashvili said.

She also drew a distinction between an election boycott and a parliamentary boycott.

“When the parliamentary boycott took place, the result was that, for example, Tsulukiani’s commission was illegitimate, and all the decisions they made were illegitimate. Elections, however, are a process of struggle. We respect everyone actively involved in protest, but we must also respect the citizens behind these protests who are waiting for a political struggle, including during elections. Elections and parliament are different circumstances,” Samadashvili said.