“We believe that local elections will mirror the October 2024 parliamentary elections and that today’s Georgia faces greater challenges than the unjust circumstances encountered in 2024. The Georgia of tomorrow will be even more difficult,” Gigi Ugulava, the United National Movement (UNM) party member, stated.

According to Ugulava, participating in elections under Bidzina Ivanishvili amounts to “a mere fig leaf for a dictatorial system.”

“We cling to illusions, and the political landscape has yet to acknowledge that the local elections organized by the Georgian Dream (GD) will be indistinguishable from those of 2024. Today’s Georgia endures hardships far worse than what lies ahead, and elections have effectively been cancelled. Any local elections or subsequent elections held while Bidzina Ivanishvili remains in power will merely serve as a facade for a dictatorial regime,” he asserted.

Ugulava believes that a revolution is necessary to create a reality devoid of Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“A revolution driven by constant resistance—not only on Rustaveli Avenue—will bring about this change,” he urged, encouraging the Georgian people to seek support within their communities and to spread protests on the streets for “total resistance.”

He further emphasized that if local elections are to be held, equal conditions must be guaranteed; otherwise, one would only be complicit in securing office for the next 4-5 years in an attempt to “find peace in this madness.”

Gigi Ugulava also noted that while foreign partners have not yet pressured the opposition to engage in elections, they require the opposition to articulate its vision.

“Sooner or later, our people will demand that we present a roadmap, a concrete plan. We must make clear demands, and then foreign partners will expect us to specify our needs. A moment will arrive when, if we remain stagnant, international stakeholders will urge us to participate in local elections, and we must have a prepared response. Although foreign partners have not yet made this demand, the more pressing issue is different.

What we say about the Georgian Dream today, how we communicate, and the substance of our discussions are entirely consistent. This presents a unique situation. Therefore, this issue has not yet been raised. Nonetheless, we must possess a vision and a way forward—or, at the very least, a list of tactical steps. International partners need the opposition to have its vision,” Ugulava concluded during a live broadcast on TV Pirveli.