“Bidzina Ivanishvili aims to eliminate independent financial sources. No grant will be issued without his approval; if you disagree, you will no longer receive funding,” said Irakli Pavlenishvili of the United National Movement.

Pavlenishvili added that some might wish to live under a dictatorship, but he himself does not.

“Yesterday, I met many members of the Georgian Dream on the street, and they expressed dissatisfaction. Under Bidzina Ivanishvili, there will be no space for differing opinions. Organisations won’t be able to receive funding without government approval; it will be limited to individual entrepreneurs. People with opposing political views will find it more difficult to express themselves or access certain forms of support.

Ivanishvili does not want independent financial sources to exist. No grant will be issued without his approval; if you hold a different opinion, you won’t get funding. Some may choose to live in this dictatorship, but I do not,” Pavlenishvili stated.

When asked about former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s claim that “our people have already learned about grants, they open accounts in Armenia or other countries and use these to bring in money for their livelihood,” Pavlenishvili responded that he does not know what Saakashvili meant: “We have no contact.”