MP Samkharadze tells opposition to focus on next elections after ‘missing the boat’

“We know perfectly well what the American delegation told the opposition. All the coyness and superfluous insinuation are entirely unnecessary at this point. They received a direct, unambiguous message from America: that democracy means, amongst other things, the opposition’s engagement in political processes,” said MP Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations.

He added that the current debate over who does or does not speak English has become faintly absurd.

“If they don’t speak English, then what exactly were they doing running around Brussels and other capitals? What were they arguing to people there? The message is clear, which is precisely why it has caused a rift within the opposition, as we remember all too well what happened after the elections. Following the vote, almost everyone in the opposition who cleared the threshold chose to boycott. We said it then, and we say it now: a boycott is a sign of disrespect towards your own electorate. When people vote for you, you have a duty to turn up to Parliament, take your seat, and work to justify the trust your voters have placed in you. Instead, they chose a violent, revolutionary path.

In doing so, they effectively demanded the annulment of their own mandates, which amounts to political harakiri. It was hardly difficult to foresee that this is precisely what would become of them. Open any history book, and you will find that those who declare boycotts and withdraw from political processes invariably find themselves in trouble on the political stage afterwards.

Therefore, this is their own decision, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to help them change it. They have missed the boat and should start preparing for the next elections. I hope that at the next elections they will not repeat the same mistake. There are two key points here. They genuinely regret this decision. We know perfectly well that they regret it, not only from internal conversations but also from what they say when speaking to ordinary citizens. And second, the blame game has begun in earnest, with those who did not originate the idea now turning on whoever did, insisting that a single phone call was responsible for all of this.

Every person who made that decision must be held to political responsibility. Of course, it is the choice of any MP whether they enter Parliament or not. But everyone must pay the political price, as this decision has damaged Georgia and its international image. The individuals who are damaging Georgia must pay a political price,” Samkharadze stated.