Opposition’s participation or non-participation in the local elections had absolutely no impact on the legitimacy of the elections. Such a statement made today the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament.

“I urge them, along with their foreign backers, to take this path and refrain from participating. One radical politician, former President [Salome] Zourabichvili, will visit the Baltic states in the coming days, and hopefully, her patrons will also advise her against participating in the elections, as extremism must be eradicated in Georgia. The extremist political agenda must end, along with parties that serve foreign interests.

As of the non-parliamentary opposition. A democratic party exists to participate in elections, measure its support among the public, and obtain a mandate of governance. When a party refuses to participate in elections, it is essentially declaring that it is not a democratic party but an extremist one. Therefore, anyone who says they will not participate, or encourages others to abstain, is in fact an enemy of democracy and a supporter of extremist movements”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.