Prepared by Messenger Staff
Ivanishvili Marks 13 Years of Georgian Dream, Warns of Threats Ahead of Local Elections
Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the Georgian Dream party, marked the 13th anniversary of the party's rise to power in a statement addressing upcoming local elections on October 4. He warned against "agents," "internal enemies," and "traitors," and described the vote as a test of Georgia's sovereignty and stability.
"October 1 has become a symbol of unity, dignity, and the victory of good over evil," Ivanishvili said. He called the day a key turning point between "authoritarianism, submission to foreign interests, fear and terror" and "democracy, loyalty to national sovereignty and freedom." He credited the Georgian people as "the main creator of October 1," saying they remain faithful to national traditions and Christian values.
Reflecting on the party's 2012 victory, Ivanishvili said it was founded on "freedom, justice, mutual respect, love, dignity and independence," ideals that continue to guide Georgian Dream's policies. He highlighted the party's achievements in economic stability, social welfare, and lasting peace, noting that "there is not a field that has not fundamentally improved since 2012."
At the same time, Ivanishvili cautioned that "forces of radicalism, confrontation and artificial discord" now operating in the name of the opposition threaten the country. He accused certain opposition figures and "so-called non-governmental organizations" of acting as agents for foreign powers and said these groups could be replaced by others if unchecked.
Acknowledging mistakes over the years, Ivanishvili said they "were not to the degree to put our statehood and physical existence in danger." He described betrayal by former allies as his hardest experience personally, warning it posed risks to national development.
He urged Georgians to view the October 4 vote as a chance to peacefully reaffirm the 2012 victory and focus on development, welfare, overcoming poverty, strengthening sovereignty, and uniting the country.
UNM Councillor Arrested Over Video Calling to Disrupt Elections
The State Security Service of Georgia arrested Zviad Kuprava, a United National Movement councillor in Tbilisi, after a social media video in which authorities say he urged people to disrupt the October 4 municipal vote and topple the government. The security service says Kuprava resisted arrest and has been charged with "publicly calling for the government's overthrow" and "resisting a protector of public order."
Kuprava's September 30 video lays out a plan to move across the city and breach polling stations, an action he said would trigger "a domino effect" that would see Bidzina Ivanishvili removed from power. "From the morning, both in groups and individually, we will start moving across the city, and out of the 500 special operation points we will definitely break through one," Kuprava said in the recording. He added that he would refrain from action "until October 5" if imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili and other detainees were released.
At an October 1 briefing, Lasha Maghradze, first deputy to the head of the security service, said the indictment includes Article 317 for calls to overthrow the government and Article 353 for resisting officials. Maghradze also said investigators are examining statements that could amount to interfering with the expression of voters' will. "The State Security Service will closely study all such statements and actions with criminal intent to assess them legally and respond accordingly," he said.
The arrest comes amid a contentious election cycle marked by opposition boycott calls and heightened tensions in the run-up to the October 4 vote. The United National Movement has condemned the detention, calling it political repression.
Court proceedings and any further charges are pending. The State Security Service said it will continue to investigate public calls that it judges to have criminal intent.
