Georgia’s ruling party official: opposition ban could open door for youth in politics, opposition would remain on streets

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream parliamentary faction, on Wednesday said that the ruling party had completely discredited and marginalised this agent-linked opposition by standing firmly with the Georgian people.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Machavariani noted that the opposition lacked meaningful political influence.

He added that the Georgian Dream might benefit electorally from having a weak opposition, but added that the authorities had a responsibility to ensure the matter also received a legal assessment, describing this as one of the ruling party’s key pre-election pledges.

“The opposition’s situation will not change, because we only see them on the streets. They were on the streets, and they will remain on the streets if the court upholds our lawsuit”, Machavariani said.

“We remember the 2024 parliamentary elections, when the opposition did not conduct its own campaign. Instead of visiting the regions and speaking directly with voters, they had their patrons run the entire election campaign for them”, he continued.

Machavariani added that, when such “agent-linked and destructive forces” were neutralised, more young people with a state-oriented outlook would be encouraged to enter politics and provide constructive opposition.