PM Kobakhidze: New U.S. administration holds different viewpoint on opposition’s taking up MP mandates

“The previous administration did its best for the opposition not to take up MP mandates. We are glad that the new administration holds a different viewpoint,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters.

According to the PM, all political parties should respect the mandates assigned by their voters. The opposition did not do so in the previous cases due to the interference from the previous U.S. administration and European bureaucracy.

“We are glad that the new administration holds a different viewpoint. The previous administration, on the contrary, did everything for the opposition to renounce MP mandates. This was happening following the 2020 parliamentary elections and for the 2024 polls. As a result, it took us a whole series of negotiations, signing agreements, and even after that, part of the opposition did not enter parliament, and in 2024, three out of four parties which overcame the election threshold did not take up MP mandates.

The previous administration backed this, and we are glad that the new administration holds a different viewpoint. In general, all political parties should respect the mandates assigned by their voters. The opposition did not do so in the previous case due to the interference from the previous U.S. administration and European bureaucracy, both in the cases of the 2020 and 2024 elections,” he said.

Speaking about the review of Georgia-US relations, the PM said that what hindered healthy relations between the United States and Georgia and worsened relations between the two countries was the injustice of the previous administration.

“You know that we have a declared viewpoint that we are ready to restore the strategic partnership with the U.S. from a new page with a concrete roadmap. This is our desire, and the key attitude is that these relations and reset of relations must be based on the principle of fairness.

The key issue which hindered healthy relations between the United States and Georgia and worsened relations between the two countries was the injustice of the previous administration. What has been damaged by injustice can only be repaired by a fair approach, by relations based on mutual respect. This is our call to our American colleagues,” he said.