UNM’s Bezhashvili: No one can reinstate parliamentary mandates now, but steps must be taken to begin resolving political crisis

“The statement by the U.S. delegation implies that the political opposition must utilise its capacity for institutionalisation to better represent the interests of the opposition spectrum and electorate, including on the international stage,” United National Movement member Levan Bezhashvili has stated.

He noted that Western partners need to understand how the opposition envisions future elections and the restoration of democracy.

“This entails developing a unified stance and vision on how we view democratic development, including restoring democracy through direct new elections. Our Western partners must know how we envision elections in this country and how we see the return of democracy.

Naturally, these positions should be important and worthy of attention, not only for the Opposition Alliance members but for all opposition parties. In this regard, everyone must take steps while considering our respective responsibilities.

Regarding domestic state institutions, it is also crucial for the opposition camp to present a united front. Rather than setting various conditions, such as whether or not to enter Parliament, it is vital to adopt a unified stance. This will make it much easier to align our stances. We must acknowledge, and in this case, Georgian Dream must admit, that there is a political crisis in the country created by them, which was caused by election rigging. We must proceed from the actual reality as it stands today,” Bezhashvili stated.

According to Bezhashvili, steps should be taken, based on the current situation, to start resolving the political crisis.

“Naturally, no one can reinstate the parliamentary mandates now, nor can any amendments be made, including constitutional ones; that is absurd. Steps must be taken based on the current situation to begin resolving the political crisis. For this to happen, the opposition must first establish a shared vision on how to restore democracy and deliver on direct elections. Secondly, Georgian Dream must fully grasp the principles outlined in this statement, release all political prisoners, and repeal the legislation restricting freedom of speech, expression, and assembly.

Entering parliament was not discussed at the meeting with the State Department officials, as it no longer has any relevance to the current situation. Naturally, we could not start debating decisions made in the past; we must accept the reality we face today and focus on how to resolve the current political crisis.

I believe that the unity of the opposition parties in boycotting parliament was the only correct decision. It put Ivanishvili’s Russian regime on the back foot and effectively rendered them illegitimate. The public remembers the rigged 2020 parliamentary elections all too well. Back then, the opposition ended its boycott only because our Western partners urged us to do so under the Charles Michel agreement. Four years later, we faced an even more brazenly rigged election, conducted under far greater coercion. Given these events, and drawing from the lessons of 2020, the opposition simply had no choice but to take the same stand for the 2024 parliamentary elections,” Bezhashvili stated.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Georgia released a statement from State Department officials who met with opposition figures during their visit to the country. The statement noted: “Democracy requires a political opposition that engages with state institutions to serve the interests of the citizens who voted for them.”