Unity-National Movement’s Manjgaladze declares gov’t illegitimate, lacks int’l representation

“The government of Georgia is illegitimate and cannot represent the country on any international stage,” stated Paata Manjgaladze, a member of the Unity-National Movement coalition.

According to Manjgaladze, the opposition is responding to the desires of Georgian citizens, who have engaged in continuous mass protests for the past two months, demanding new elections.

“Elections in Georgia were neither free nor fair. As a result, the current government lacks legitimacy, and its representatives cannot advocate for our country in any international forum. This compels us to assert that Ivanishvili and his associates do not represent Georgia,” he explained.

Manjgaladze further asserted that Georgia is currently without a ruling party, claiming that the Georgian Dream embodies a coalition of kleptocrats focused solely on personal gain.

“This is a political parasite that deprives Georgian citizens of vital resources. The greatest concern for our nation is that the entire state apparatus serves the regime rather than the people; it facilitates the oligarchy and caters to Ivanishvili,” he added.

He believes that members of the ruling party serve a master: “A slave believes that everyone is a slave, and each has a master.”

“Today, Georgia lacks a government that represents its people. We have an illegitimate administration that serves the interests and security of a single individual—Bidzina Ivanishvili. Elections must be held, and those who secure the people’s mandate should govern Georgia. The identities of Georgia and Ivanishvili have become conflated; for the Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili is everything, while for us, Georgia is everything,” he concluded.