Saakashists do not give up and continue to rock Georgia
The political life of Georgia is increasingly entering the pre-election phase. This is evidenced by the revival of not only political parties and their leaders, but also the country’s leading television channels, which recently raced to announce their ratings.
The ratings, in turn, were compiled on the basis of sociological research commissioned by the Imedi TV channel, loyal to the authorities, on the one hand, and the opposition Formula channel, on the other.
Accordingly, if in the first case the range between the ruling party and the main opposition force, which Saakashvili’s party was once appointed to be, was about 35%, then, according to the “alternative” survey, this figure looks more modest and is calculated at only 16%.
The results of both studies confirm that most of the remaining, more or less well-known political actors do not reach the 5% threshold required to enter parliament. It is not surprising that in this situation, opposition parties started talking about the need to lower the electoral threshold to 2%, although earlier these same parties stated that they had no problems gaining 5%.
Not entirely admitting, but fully aware that hopes of victory in the upcoming fateful elections are extremely ephemeral, the Georgian opposition is feverishly searching for a path that would lead it to power. And now one of the most odious oppositionists, a major Georgian banker and leader of the Lelo party, Mamuka Khazaradze, publishes a post in one sentence:
“The middle must come together!!!”
And although, as the party explained, we are talking about creating a coalition that would represent a third political force that could compete with both the ruling “Dream” and the opposition “National Movement”, the founder of the latter, Mikheil Saakashvili, spoke approvingly of the proposed Khazaradze's concept of creating a coalition from the so-called middle.
Mamuka Khazaradze.
The ex-president was especially admired by the “concept of de-Russification,” namely, the 9-point “Georgia Defense Act,” which, according to Khazaradze, “will ensure the protection of the interests of our country and its citizens and limit the Russian invasion in Georgia.”
The leader of the opposition party believes that it is necessary to end the policy of creating comfort for the citizens of the occupying country practiced by the Georgian Dream.
“Russians today are freely buying our land, snatching up jobs, developing Russian businesses and raising prices. Georgian Dream makes money in Moscow, takes advice from Putin, and serves Russia instead of serving the Georgian people. At Lelo, we believe that the time has come for a government whose only priority will be to serve Georgia and its people,” Khazaradze said.
On the irreconcilable opposition flank, Russophobic rhetoric is apparently considered the only tool conducive to attracting at least some interest from the Georgian electorate. It was not without reason that the idea of the “Act” was immediately picked up by Saakashvili.
“I completely agree with the concept of de-Russification put forward by Lelo... The Russian virus, which threatens the death of our national body, requires the mobilization of the immunity and strength of the entire society,” the ex-president said on this occasion.
Meanwhile, Saakashvili’s brainchild, the National Movement, celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the Rose Revolution, which, as many in expert circles believe, laid the foundation for reformatting, including mental, of Georgian society.
In connection with this date, the national movement adopted the “Unity Manifesto”, which, along with the fact that it reflects the ideology and political principles of the party, also contains an agreement on party unity. The fact is that the internal party squabbles of the Saakashists really pose the threat of a split to the UNM, and the signing of the manifesto by the party leaders is apparently seen as a guarantee of unity of its ranks.
“This manifesto is not subject to double interpretation. If we want to fight and be in the same boat, we must join hands, and if not, we must put an end to it peacefully. By this I mean that we are stopping this “mess,” commented Saakashvili’s ally, former mayor of the capital of Georgia Gigi Ugulava, on the processes taking place in the party.
Having a mess in the party, the ex-president, however, takes political responsibility for leadership in the political struggle for “victory in the 2024 parliamentary elections that are decisive for Georgia.”
While in prison, Saakashvili still has a wide opportunity to invade the information space, and through it, the political one. Being a citizen of Ukraine, he is still a consolidating figure for his party. His shaky political weight, and therefore the political weight of the UNM, increases the likelihood of a demarche by President Salome Zurabishvili in the form of her pardoning Saakashvili.
The prospect of the latter’s release is minimal, but this will create additional hype and an aura of victim and sufferer around the ex-president, and therefore around the UNM. The success of the latter in the 2024 parliamentary elections will again significantly affect the political landscape of Georgia. Having serious media and international political support, the UNM and Saakashvili are not giving up.
Regarding the plans and intentions of the main opposition party set out in the “Manifesto” related to “saving Georgian statehood and forming a state”, guaranteeing the people “a better future, a decent life, real freedom,” the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament Papuashvili aptly noted:
“If the National Movement wants to do any good to this country and its supporters, the only manifesto they should sign is the manifesto dissolving the National Movement.” This is the only good they can do."
Although few people would consider reasonable objections to this. However, the UNM is going to get to the elections and “take its own”, continuing to remain the main destabilizing factor in the South Caucasian republic.
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