“Someone in Georgia is trying to stage a festival of authoritarianism and bring back authoritarian rule. We must do everything in our power to prevent authoritarianism and agents’ rule from ever returning to Georgia,” Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists.

The Prime Minister was asked about the recent meeting with Danish funding and the appearance of banners calling for the release of Mikheil Saakashvili. The question was whether this serves the pre-election campaign of the opposition parties.

He noted that the parliamentary elections are taking place against a backdrop of unprecedented and gross foreign interference, which he described as a clear violation of election principles.

“It is very concerning. However, such external interference ultimately cannot affect the election results. Everyone is aware of the true nature and objectives behind this interference. When an event featuring Saakashvili’s pictures is labelled as a Democracy Festival, it is evident that there is an attempt in Georgia to promote authoritarianism. The result of this authoritarianism included the 2008 war. We must ensure that authoritarianism never returns to Georgia and that agents’ rule does not re-emerge, as its outcome could be even more severe than what occurred in 2008,” Kobakhidze emphasized.

He also expressed concern over Danish funding for these events, indicating that there are ongoing discussions about the procedures related to this interference.