Opposition Parties Pledge to Reject Coalition Gov’t with GD

The opposition parties, including United National Movement, European Georgia, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi, Labor Party, Republican Party, European Democrats, Victorious Georgia, Democratic Movement – United Georgia, and Movement – State for People, signed an agreement, pledging to not form a coalition government with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party regardless of the outcome of October 31 general election.

According to the agreement, sealed on October 30, a day before the elections, all signatories acknowledge that the Georgian Dream government under Bidzina Ivanishvili, GD party chairman, has:

• “Significantly weakened Georgia’s democratic institutions through uncontrolled and singlehanded concentration of power; the politicization of government institutions, and through the complete disruption of mechanisms of democratic accountability; including, through politicizing the judiciary system and using it as a tool for political persecution;”
• “Cast a shadow on Georgia’s international reputation, hindering the Georgian people’s quest to realize their historical European choice, including the process of Georgia’s integration in Euro-Atlantic structures;”
• “Harmed Georgia’s economic potential, including by terminating the Anaklia Deep-Sea Port Project and by deliberately removing western investors from the Project;”
• “Weakened Georgia’s bargaining position with the Russian Federation on topics related to de-occupation by forfeiting Georgia’s national interests under the veil of “the politics of normalization.”

“The political opposition is convinced that, based on the will of the Georgian people, it will secure a convincing victory in the October 31 parliamentary elections,” the agreement reads.

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