Michael Roth Visits Tbilisi, Backs Protests and Calls for New Elections
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Michael Roth, Chairman of the German Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, began his visit to Tbilisi on January 13, where he met with Georgian opposition leaders, media representatives, and attended a protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue. A vocal supporter of new elections in Georgia, Roth expressed solidarity with the ongoing protests and endorsed Western sanctions against members of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Roth described Georgia's political crisis as a fundamental clash between autocracy and liberal democracy, emphasizing the need for new elections to restore trust. "The only chance to overcome this situation after rigged elections and breaches of the Constitution [.] is new, free, and fair elections to regain trust and confidence," he stated.
The German politician criticized the current regime, asserting that it has derailed Georgia's European aspirations. "With this regime, I don't see any chance to bring Georgia back on the European track. That is why we need new elections for a legitimate government and parliament that speaks on behalf of the people demonstrating on the streets for freedom," Roth declared.
Praising the protesters, Roth highlighted their fight for European values, remarking, "They don't demonstrate for higher pensions or a better welfare state. They demonstrate for European values, and that is why I say that Tbilisi is the true capital of Europe."
He also commended individual sanctions imposed on those responsible for human rights violations, electoral fraud, and breaches of the Constitution, urging the European Union to maintain its support for the Georgian people. Roth lauded the opposition's unity around the demand for new, free, and fair elections.
Addressing rumors of potential U.S. support for Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili during Donald Trump's presidency, Roth dismissed such speculation as "unreasonable." He noted that even politicians close to Trump had endorsed sanctions against Ivanishvili.
