‘We urge them not to run in elections’: reaction to pardon of Georgian opposition leaders
Reaction to pardon of opposition leaders in Georgia
Opposition parties and the Georgian government have commented on the pardon of Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, leaders of the “Lelo – Strong Georgia” coalition.
Part of the opposition says the pardon is an attempt by Georgian Dream to legitimise the local elections scheduled for 4 October, and is calling on the coalition’s leadership not to take part.
Representatives of Georgian Dream, meanwhile, called the president’s pardon of opposition leaders a “humane act.” Guram Macharashvili, an MP from People’s Power, a satellite party of Georgian Dream, said the decision was made so that the opposition could not later claim: “We were in prison, how could we win the elections?”
Georgian Dream’s president, Mikheil Kavelashvili, explained the move in the same terms: “It was done so that no one could say the local elections are taking place under uncompetitive conditions.”
Opposition reaction
Elene Khoshtaria, Coalition for Change:
“It doesn’t matter what Georgian Dream has planned — what matters is how the real opposition responds. On the day of their release, I want to appeal to Mamuka and Badri with all my heart and respect to make the only right decision — not for the coalition, not for me, but for the country.
That decision is to step away from this false, non-existent Russian special operation [elections], and to return to a united, principled struggle of resistance that does not cooperate and does not submit. Such a choice will strengthen that struggle. It will be the only right decision for Lelo, for the whole opposition, for all activists, and, most importantly, for our country. I eagerly await that right decision from Lelo.”
Petre Tsiskarishvili, United National Movement:
“Elections must be held in a competitive environment. First of all, this is not even an election. The only convincing step would have been if, before last year’s parliamentary elections, they had pardoned Mikheil Saakashvili, giving him the chance to participate fully in the elections. Then I would have truly believed that their political will, approach and intention were to ensure that the electoral process and elections at any level are competitive, and that no political leader ends up locked in a prison cell.”
Tamar Chugoshvili, Federalists:
“Despite the huge differences between the Federalists and Lelo, and the many clashes we have had, we call on Lelo to return to the rational path of unity and strike Bidzina Ivanishvili where it hurts. It is clear he needs legitimacy for the farce called ‘local self-government elections’. That is why it is necessary to stop helping the regime deceive the Georgian people and not take part, thereby uniting the opposition and doing great good.
With this gesture [the pardon], Bidzina Ivanishvili has revealed himself — he genuinely wants at least some legitimacy for the 4 October elections, which is why he freed the opposition leaders. This was not a step for Khazaradze and Japaridze; it was a step taken in Ivanishvili’s personal interest, to preserve power and once again entrench his dominance over the country he has temporarily seized.
Giorgi Butikashvili, Coalition for Change:
“I don’t think there was a direct deal, but there was a non-verbal one — when one side decided to legitimise the parliamentary and local elections. This raises the question of what is happening: a deal or Ivanishvili’s game? Our party leaders ended up in prison because they refused to play by the rules, and no one is going to pardon them. Our main stance is moral clarity and consistent policy.
What a grotesque scene it is when, on the one hand, young men and women are sent to prison for two years, while on the other, Lelo runs an election campaign talking about water supply — completely at odds with public sentiment and the drama provoked by Georgian Dream.”
Reaction to pardon of opposition leaders in Georgia
