Tina Bokuchava, leader of the Unity-National Movement coalition, called on the European Parliament to support an amendment urging President Salome Zourabichvili to pardon Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, whom she described as a political prisoner for the fourth consecutive year.

Bokuchava emphasized the importance of the European Parliament’s resolution, which she said should reject the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections and call for new elections under an independent election administration.

“On October 26, Georgia held a significant election, observed by some of you. According to the President of Georgia, this was a special operation against the Georgian people as part of Russia’s hybrid war. The massive scale of fraud, including the violation of voting secrecy nationwide, undermined the free will of the Georgian people,” Bokuchava stated.

She criticized Bidzina Ivanishvili, whom she described as a Russian oligarch, for presenting a new presidential candidate loyal to him.

“This candidate, elected by an electoral college dominated by Ivanishvili loyalists, is not only ill-suited for the role but also known for offensive and anti-European rhetoric,” she added.

Bokuchava expressed gratitude for the European Parliament’s leadership in drafting a resolution on Georgia and called for support in adopting measures to address the country’s political challenges.

The Unity-National Movement leader also urged the European Parliament to work with the new European Commission to ensure the implementation of political decisions, including individual sanctions and an international investigation into electoral violations.

“At a time when the state is being hijacked by a Russian-backed regime, we, on the right side of history, must not remain trapped in past differences. Instead, we must unite in our shared goal of preserving Georgia’s European path. Dear friends, I urge you to work with the new Commission to ensure the implementation of the political decisions made by this Parliament, including imposing individual sanctions on the regime and conducting an international investigation into electoral violations. Political dealings with a Russian oligarch or a return to business as usual would not only undermine European ideals and values but also encourage the Kremlin, pushing Georgia toward the dangerous abyss of authoritarianism,” Bokuchava concluded.