Daily protests, repeat elections: what’s opposition’s plan in Georgia?

Georgian opposition unveils action plan

On November 4, opposition parties in Georgia’s capital held a large rally in front of the parliament building, announcing their plan of action. The next protest march, organized by three opposition coalitions, is set to take place today at 2:00 pm. In fact, according to Giorgi Vashadze, a member of the coalition “Unity-National Movement,” this week will be marked by marches of resistance throughout Tbilisi.

This is the opposition’s response to the results of the October 26 parliamentary elections, where, according to preliminary data, the ruling party “Georgian Dream” won 54% of the vote. The opposition is convinced this outcome was the result of fraud.

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What’s opposition’s plan?

1. Call for repeat elections;
2. Non-recognition of the October 26 election results and the legitimacy of the newly elected parliament;
3. Launch of a resistance movement and a peaceful front of opposition, starting in Tbilisi and then expanding across Georgia;
4. Escalation of each subsequent protest to be sharper and more focused on specific goals;
5. Continued gathering evidence and all documentation for a full international investigation into election fraud.

“This will continue until we achieve final victory,” stated Giorgi Vashadze.

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The government of the “Georgian Dream” lacks both internal and external legitimacy. Such a government will be very weak.

“These protests will be daily; not a single day will pass without protests in the streets, and eventually, in the near future, this could grow into a powerful protest movement that will overthrow the regime…

[…] We will be out on the streets every day—sometimes in large numbers, sometimes even more—but soon there should be so many of us that no one will be able to enter [the parliament].

We need to stand on every avenue, in every square, and on every bridge,” urges Nika Melia, one of the leaders of the opposition “Coalition for Change.”

According to Lasha Bakradze, one of the leaders of the “Unity—National Movement” coalition, the Georgian opposition is ready to see this struggle through to victory, but unity is essential:

“We will not let the country slide into the abyss, and for that, we need courage and unity. They [the authorities] will try in every way to spread hopelessness, hatred, and polarization in this country; we must not tolerate this. We need the unity of the Georgian people to carry the victory we achieved in these elections to final success and free the country from the forces leading it to ruin.”

Georgian opposition unveils action plan