TBILISI, July 15 – Georgia’s opposition says it is preparing for the next elections, but still has no clear common plan for how to take part.
While most opposition parties are still sticking to a boycott of parliament despite winning seats in the last elections, the expectation is now that they will take part in the next election.
The next scheduled election for parliament is in 2028, while the opposition is demanding a re-run of the previous election due to alleged fraud.
Opposition politician Nika Oboladze told Rezonansi that a political agreement is needed to restore public trust in elections. He said the opposition has no boycott campaign now and that an earlier boycott strategy did not work.
Oboladze argued that if the next elections come without a political agreement, it will be a disaster for the opposition, because many opposition voters may no longer believe elections matter. He said opposition parties have spent two years telling people that elections in Georgia have no meaning, and now risk struggling to bring those voters back to the ballot box.
He also said political prisoners and people detained after political processes, including the events of October 4, should be released as part of such an agreement.
Ana Dolidze, leader of the For the People party, rejected talk of dialogue with the government and said her party is focused on concrete public issues, not speculation about elections two years from now. She said her party is working with Italian lawmakers to keep Georgia on the agenda and to defend visa-free travel for Georgian citizens.
Dolidze also warned that new parties should be pressed to explain where their money comes from. She said there may be an attempt to create a quiet, controlled opposition.
Giga Lemonjava, a leader of Droa, said the opposition had made mistakes after a large May 26 rally, which he described as a missed political chance. He said the opposition should build an information agenda, take responsibility for organizing protest, and create a stronger foreign-policy front to win more sanctions and show Western partners that credible people are ready to govern after Georgian Dream, the current governing party.
Tengo Tevzadze, a member of the Coalition for Change, said his bloc wants to take part in fair elections, but only under the alliance’s six conditions. He said opposition leaders must be released from prison, political exiles must be allowed to return and take part, and emigrants must regain the right to vote.
