Georgian ruling party leader warns state security officers of burgeoning "revolution"
Executive secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party and former speaker of parliament Irakli Kobakhidze visited the Georgian State Security Service to discuss what he says is a ‘revolution’ being prepared by the Georgian opposition.
Opposition parties in Georgia are protesting against the official results of the parliamentary elections on October 31, claiming them to have been falsified by the the authorities.
The official results state that the ruling party received 48% of the vote. All nine opposition parties that won seats in parliament announced a boycott against the parliament and are demanding new elections.
As Kobakhidze himself told reporters, he was contacted by the State Security Service regarding information published a few days ago concerning the so-called ‘revolution’. Kobakhidze says the security service is interested in this information.
“This is a briefing about the fact that leaders and activists in the United National Movement (the main opposition party in Georgia) are preparing for a so-called ‘revolutionary scenario’. I received information about this. Today I have spoken both about the source and details of this information”, said Irakli Kobakhidze.
The former speaker of parliament noted that he also provided the State Security Service with information about ‘certain plans’ for the post-election period.
•Georgian NGOs: “The government failed to ensure democratic elections”
Kobakhidze says he told the security service the names of the leaders participating in the
‘revolutionary scenario’. He says he provided this information as a preventive measure.
“Of course, all of this refers to the scenario drawn up by Mikhail Saakashvili, who is the leader of the main destructive and criminal political force, and several representatives of this party also took part. For example, I can name (General) Devi Chankotadze, Dmitry Shashkin (MP candidates). Others were involved in implementing this scenario. All this was part of their plan”, Irakli Kobakhidze said.
•What does the Georgian opposition plan to do about the election results?
Two days before the elections, Irakli Kobakhidze posted on his Facebook lists of opposition candidates who he claimed were planning provocations during the elections.
On October 30, news broke that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is investigating Kobakhidze’s claims
