The Gakharia for Georgia party has decided to enter Parliament. Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia political council, announced at a briefing on Monday.
According to Sharashidze, failing to use the platform of Parliament and municipal assemblies is not merely a mistake but a crime against the country and its people.
“A year ago, following the parliamentary elections of October 26, our political team unanimously decided to boycott Parliament. Sadly, we must acknowledge that this form of political protest failed to halt the Georgian Dream’s machinery of evil or to prevent the de facto authorities from making decisions so damaging to the country, such as suspending Georgia’s European integration process, adopting anti-democratic legislation that violates human rights, tightening the autocratic regime, perpetrating violence against peaceful citizens, stealing free and fair elections, and many other criminal, anti-national and anti-state actions.
The parliamentary boycott, which grew into a boycott of the entire political process, effectively removed the opposition from the political arena. As a result, the Georgian Dream was allowed to act very swiftly, without any resistance, and to intensify its authoritarianism, which led us to the provocations of October 4.
We blame no one but ourselves! A year ago, we failed to convince society and the political spectrum that renouncing parliamentary mandates was a mistake, and this was followed by a chain of events that has led us to today’s dire situation. But today we no longer intend to remain imprisoned by our own mistakes or to deceive ourselves with illusions!
The irresponsible and provocative processes of October 4 made the situation extremely grave, caused extreme damage to an already weakened opposition spectrum, and gave the Georgian Dream a pretext to justify to its supporters the intensification of authoritarianism. We see new anti-democratic laws suppressing freedom of expression, dozens of imprisoned demonstrators, including journalists, to which has been added the announcement of the so-called new education reform that will restrict our future generations’ access to European education.
We see an even greater intensification of anti-European propaganda, direct attacks on ambassadors of partner states. What the Georgian Dream regime is perpetrating against the German Ambassador and Germany can only be assessed as damaging to our country’s national and state interests. We must acknowledge that the opposition’s disappearance from the political process has left the people defenceless in the face of the regime; every day, new political prisoners are added to the list.
This is why our principal objective is the fight for the survival of dissenting opinion! There is another truth in this country, and we must bring that truth into the open! Therefore, we are beginning to return all political instruments and platforms intended for the people to the service of the people, because Georgia’s representative bodies, municipal assemblies at the local level and Parliament at the national level, do not belong to the Georgian Dream; they belong solely and exclusively to the Georgian people!
Sadly, today, when intolerance of dissenting opinion from two radical sides has brought us to the dangerous brink of hatred and mutual confrontation, and the entire country is caught in a spiral of loathing, what we need most of all is the return of sensible, moderate and consistent politics at every level! Not using the platform of Parliament and the assemblies [sakrebulo], particularly during this difficult period, is not only a mistake but a crime against the country and its people.
The voice and dissenting opinion of Georgia’s citizens must be heard in Georgia’s Parliament! It is time to counter lies with truth, and the language of hatred and loathing with sensible, calm, moderate and consistent steps!” Giorgi Sharashidze declared.
On September 2, Parliament recognised the parliamentary authority of Gakharia and his 11 colleagues’ substitutes: Gela Abuladze, Jemal Ananidze, Ketevan Bakaradze, Rusudan Tevzadze, Malkhaz Toria, Shalva Kereselidze, Salome Kobaladze, Giga Parulava, Vika Pilpani, Giorgi Sharashidze, Tamar Khvedeliani and Sophio Khorghuani.
The Gakharia for Georgia party did not withdraw its parliamentary list. It was precisely on this basis that Parliament considered the question of recognising the authority of the substitutes for the excluded members.
Previously, at the plenary session on July 2, Giorgi Gakharia and 11 members of his party, Teona Akubardia, Ana Buchukuri, Levan Gogichaishvili, Zaza Tavadze, Beka Liluashvili, Natia Mezvrishvili, Berdia Sichinava, Kakha Kemoklidge, Roin Koçorashvili, Dimitri Tsikitishvili and Zviad Dzidziguri, had their parliamentary authority terminated. The Georgian Dream cited the absence of members of Gakharia’s party from parliamentary sessions without a valid excuse as grounds for their early termination of authority.
