Zourabichvili Says Government Has Two Options: Organize New Elections or Face Collapse
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, January 10, 2025
The Fifth President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili emphasized the urgent need for new elections to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
As the ruling party faces internal disintegration and public unrest, Zourabichvili outlined two potential paths for the country: either the government acknowledges the people's demands for elections or faces further collapse.
Calling the current political climate unsustainable, the president voiced unwavering support for the public protests, stressing the necessity of free and fair elections to move forward.
"Elections have no alternative. This is not just a principle but a reality in any country facing such a deep crisis. You cannot emerge from this kind of crisis without elections, and no one can govern a country against its people for long.
The government is already disintegrating. There are serious questions within its vertical structure. The police are struggling to accept that they must obey a criminal hierarchy rather than a regular institutional one. No institution or individual who isn't entirely compromised can endure being controlled in this way, subjected to direct instructions.
Today, the ruling party has two options: first, to recognize reality, understand what the Georgian people want, and move towards organizing new elections together with the forces within the country and in line with the existing recommendations. A document is being prepared on this matter and will be practically ready in the coming days.
The second option is much more difficult and damaging for the country if anyone in the ruling party truly cares about the nation. It would involve waiting for the complete collapse of the ruling party, which would require a different type of responsibility-sharing. However, this will happen if the ruling party does not acknowledge the joint demands of our people and our partners that nothing in this country can be resolved without new elections.
We are prepared for both alternatives, and we will remain ready. This struggle continues, with its main component being the people who are standing on the streets, whom I support as much as I can. These people are not only in Tbilisi but also outside the capital," Zourabichvili stated.
