Georgia: United Opposition holds last election rally
The United Opposition – Strength in Unity bloc held a final rally in Freedom Square two days before the elections last evening on October 29.
The organizers of the protest installed benches in the square so that the protesters could keep their distance.
Protesters were given masks and underwent temperature screening at the entrances to the rally.
Supporters from a number of regions of the country marched from Republic Square to Freedom Square, where they joined the rest of the participants.
The leaders of the United Opposition addressed the people who came to the rally.
Buba Kikabidze, number one on the United Opposition party list, sang several songs for the protesters. Other singers also sang, including Sofo Batilashvili and Merab Sepashvili.
“The united opposition goes to the elections on October 31 with analyzed mistakes, realized experience and clear plans for the future,” said the chairman of the United National Movement, Grigol Vashadze.
The culmination of the rally was a video recording of the speech of the third president of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, from Kyiv.
He called on citizens to unite and get rid of the ‘blight of the Georgian Dream’.
“They called me crazy. Yes, we are ‘crazy’ when it comes to very important matters and our victory. I want to tell you that everything will be fine. We will begin our reunion again on October 31st. Ivanishvili divided us, but we reunited. I would like to invite the supporters of the Dream to extend hands to one other. Yesterday and today we were and are opponents, tomorrow we are children of the same country”.
Saakashvili urged citizens to come to the polling stations and said that Bidzina Ivanishvili should resign before the elections.
“Let’s calmly let Ivanishvili and his team retire and we will continue to grow very quickly,” Saakashvili said.
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The rally did not end without a scandal – Buba Kikabidze, singing the famous song ‘Tbiliso’, sang one of the verses of this song in Russian, which provoked protest, including from the supporters of the United National Movement.
Later, Kikabidze went on stage again and explained why he performed the Russian version of ‘Tbiliso’ at the opening of the event.
“This is the first time in my life that I stand on the podium in front of so many people. There was a rumor about why Buba sang two verses in ‘Tbiliso’ in Russian. I replied – so that everyone knows how beautiful our country is,” Kikabidze said.
