“The rally organised by the Opposition Alliance was the concluding gathering of the first phase of the general national mobilisation. We are now embarking on the second phase of that mobilisation, whose principal title is Georgia Deserves Better,” declared Giorgi Vashadze, one of the leaders of the Opposition Alliance.

He also stated that “the central task of the second phase is ever deeper, ever more direct communication with the people.”

“Once again, I congratulate you on Georgia’s Independence Day, yesterday. Every day should be Georgia’s Independence Day. Yesterday was a success. First and foremost, I wish to extend my profound gratitude to the public, to all those who came to the great gathering. Thank you for the trust you have placed in us. The rally organised by the Alliance was a statement of enormous significance. It was the concluding gathering of the first phase of the general national mobilisation. I wish to say openly that we are now, in effect, embarking on the second phase of that mobilisation, whose principal title is ‘Georgia Deserves Better.’ This message comes from the people themselves, from the very individuals we encountered and observed on the streets, from the prevailing mood that emanated from them, from the innermost aspirations of those people. I believe it is the right message for the campaign we shall be activating within the next few days, once the preparatory work is complete.

The central task of the second phase is ever deeper, ever more direct communication with the people. We have shown that, unlike Georgian Dream, we are capable of direct engagement with the public. We have shown that their problems touch us deeply, that we understand full well what troubles them, be it prices, fines, medicines for their children, or the heavy shadow cast by migration, demographics, and families torn apart.

In the second part, beyond direct communication, we shall necessarily address a great many issues through which we demonstrate to the people that we are the alternative capable of assuming responsibility not merely for governing the country, but of answering every one of the problems that weigh so heavily upon them. We shall endeavour to reach everyone. You have seen that we have not stood still in the capital for these past two weeks. The first stage was the capital. We said that on May 26, the capital should take to the streets, and the whole of Georgia will be next. We have shown that far from shying away, quite the contrary, a very warm relationship has formed between us and the public, followed by a positive culmination that we witnessed yesterday. Our wish is to unite the people; Georgian Dream’s wish is to atomise them. Their statements today point directly to the fact that they have no desire to speak with the people. I shall never refer to a single supporter of Georgian Dream in the way they refer to our supporters. For me, every person is a citizen of Georgia; that is the difference between them and us.

So, we are beginning a new phase; thank you, and I am satisfied. I shall tell you plainly: yesterday was a test for me too, whether we press on with the fight, or whether a different course of action is called for. Yesterday I received one principal message from the Georgian people: the fight must continue, nobody is afraid of anything, nobody intends to retreat. We shall not only strike off fines and put an end to every injustice, but we shall free the prisoners and address every problem. Once again, thank you to so many people who came out despite intimidation and pressure. As for the numbers, I shall give you a very clear answer: there were more than I expected. For that, I am deeply grateful. It was as many as a few tens of thousands, full stop, end of story. The next one will be bigger, and by the end of the second phase, bigger still,” declared Giorgi Vashadze.