Mdinaradze Criticizes Opposition for Disregarding OSCE/ODIHR and Key Institutional Assessments
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream party, has criticized the opposition for disregarding the assessments of key institutions on various national issues. He accused them of ignoring the OSCE/ODIHR's evaluations concerning election legitimacy, the Patriarchate's stance on religious matters, economic policies such as the imposition of sanctions, and judicial decisions from both Georgian and Strasbourg courts.
They are not concerned with the position of OSCE/ODIHR regarding the legitimacy of the elections, the stance of the Patriarchate on religious matters, economic policies such as imposing sanctions, or the opinions of Georgian and Strasbourg courts. "The executive secretary of Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze," criticized this mindset, accusing it of disregarding logic.
Mdinaradze was responding to remarks by Beka Liluashvili, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia party. According to Mdinaradze, he stated that "The legitimacy of the parliament is a political issue and OSCE/ODIHR is not a political organization." According to Mdinaradze, OSCE/ODIHR is the primary authority on election conclusions, yet the opposition dismisses its stance on the legitimacy of elections.
He continued, "The legitimacy of the Parliament is a political issue," one member of "Gakharia for Georgia" argues. The OSCE/ODIHR is not a political organization. So, who cares about the legitimacy of the OSCE/ODIHR? They disregard its position on elections, the Patriarchate's stance on religion, the economy, or the impact of sanctions. They disregard the judiciary's conclusions-be it Georgian or Strasbourg courts. This mindset erases logic entirely. They act as though OSCE/ODIHR's conclusions on legitimacy are irrelevant. Yet, this body organizes election observation missions globally, assesses whether elections are competitive, and determines if authorities in specific countries are legitimate."
Mdinaradze emphasized that until now, the global community has recognized OSCE/ODIHR as the authority on these matters. "Beka Liluashvili has turned this narrative on its head. The civilized world accepts the principles and conclusions of OSCE/ODIHR, but Liluashvili does not. I urge those at the rally to decide: do you trust the civilized world and its institutions, including OSCE/ODIHR, or Beka Liluashvili, the second 'little Gakharia'? How can we take this seriously? OSCE/ODIHR conclusions form the basis of legitimacy," Mdinaradze concluded.
