Zurab Japaridze Calls for Mass Protests to Prevent GD from Legitimizing Parliament
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, November 11, 2024
Zurab Japaridze, leader of the Girchi-More Freedom Party and Coalition for Change, has outlined a series of steps to prevent the Georgian Dream (GD) from legitimizing the new parliament following the October 26 elections. In an interview with Formula TV, Japaridze emphasized that mass protests will be needed to block GD from officially forming the parliament.
Japaridze pointed to specific deadlines in the coming month that will determine the political process. Currently, the focus is on filing lawsuits related to detected cases of electoral fraud, with protests targeting the courts and the Central Election Commission (CEC). He stressed the importance of preventing the CEC, led by Chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili, from finalizing the election results, which Japaridze claims are influenced by GD leader Bidzina Ivanishvili. The final vote tally must be announced by November 21, and Japaridze warned that this period will be crucial for blocking the CEC's actions.
After the CEC's final protocol, attention will shift to the Georgian president, who under the constitution must convene Parliament within 10 days. Japaridze believes the president will refuse to do so, setting the stage for the next phase: mass protests to prevent the GD from legitimizing the new parliament. He called for other political parties to boycott Parliament, daily cooperation with international partners to prevent the results from being recognized abroad, and a large rally to physically block GD MPs from entering the building.
Japaridze warned that if the GD succeeds in legitimizing the new parliament, it will rapidly implement policies like the foreign agents law and intensify political persecution. He also cautioned that many of the citizens currently protesting will be forced to leave the country. According to Japaridze, this is the only realistic plan to prevent Georgia from following a path similar to Belarus.
