The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) is continuing talks on formulating its runoff strategy, four days after the GDDG-backed candidate Salome Zurabishvili has failed to capture support of the voters, finishing neck-in-neck with the opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze, of UNM-led coalition.
Today, the ruling party leadership, including the GDDG leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, held a meeting with their parliamentary representation. Salome Zurabishvili was present at the gathering, but did not engage with the media.
In her press remarks after the meeting, MP Eka Beselia said the ruling party “has received and acknowledged” the message that voters conveyed to the authorities in the presidential polls.
“All problems that have been accumulated, whether this concerns individual problems or more complex challenges affecting thousands [have to be addressed],” she said.
“Significant changes are necessary … [but] it requires two stages; the first, short-term step concerns our internal [party] management – the activities that have to be carried out before the runoffs, or changed, verified and revised within the party,” Beselia noted.
The second step, according to the lawmaker, is to convince the GDDG electorate to vote for their favorite candidate.
“We all have to understand the threats that the revanchist political force can pose to the country; that this will be very dangerous not for the Georgian Dream, but for the entire country and for every citizen,” she noted, echoing the earlier remarks of GDDG lawmakers that Vashadze’s victory could trigger destabilization in the country.
“This election is dangerous because the [opposition] force is readying for a revenge… [Vashadze] is planning to pardon those convicted of gravest crimes and this may happen chaotically … this could lead to personal reprisals and we have to understand where this could lead us to,” the Georgian Dream lawmaker added.
“So, the choice is what do we want for the country – do we want peace or return of the past… today the choice is between Saakashvili and his group, the majority of whom is implicated and complicit in grave crimes, and Salome Zurabishvili, whose entire professional background is related to Europe,” she said.
MP Giorgi Volski commented on the GDDG meeting as well, saying talks would continue with GDDG members and activists across the country, including at the local level and with the ones who have previously partnered with the ruling party.
MP Zviad Kvachantiradze spoke with the media as well, telling reporters that there were “important mistakes” in GDDG government’s performance, and that there will be “full mobilization” for addressing these problems. “I cannot promise this will happen in one month’s time, but that we have a desire and a political will, is a fact,” he noted.
Georgia held the first round of its last direct presidential elections on October 28. The vote results put the ruling party-backed candidate Salome Zurabishvili neck-to-neck with Grigol Vashadze of the UNM-led opposition coalition.
Runoff between the two top contenders has to be held two weeks after the CEC publishes the final vote tally of the first round, that is no later than 20 days after the Election Day. This places the latest possible date of the runoff on December 1, 2018.
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