TBILISI, DFWatch–A opposition politician in Georgia has promised large cash rewards to law enforcement officers who refuse to use force against protesters in case there is unrest in connection with the October 4 local elections.
Levan Khabeishvili, former chairman of the United National Movement (UNM), called on security forces to “put down their weapons” and pledged a USD 200,000 reward to each officer who refrains from violence on October 4, the date of the local elections. He suggested the funds would be disbursed after a change of government, indicating that the money could be taken from allegedly misused state funds.
Former president Mikheil Saakashvili, currently in prison, voiced support for Khabeishvili’s initiative, stating that the money would be paid “within a month after the regime change,” funded by the return of stolen public assets.
The proposal drew swift condemnation from the ruling Georgian Dream party. Lawmakers questioned the legality and logic of offering financial incentives to public servants for disobeying orders, with one member calling Khabeishvili a “comical figure.” Analysts also warned that the statement could be interpreted as incitement to insurrection or an attempt to undermine state institutions.
Khabeishvili’s comments come at a crucial time, when the opposition is in search of a common strategy and a way out of the current divisions, where some parties are planning to take part in the local elections, while others are urging a boycott, combined with a refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of the current parliament, president and government, and demand a re-run of last year’s parliamentary election, which they claim was falsified by the Georgian Dream government.
