An attempt by the Georgian opposition to unite may have been derailed by interference from the ruling party. Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth President of Georgia, voiced this suggestion while speaking to viewers during a live Facebook broadcast.
She added that the situation is further complicated by the fact that many opposition party leaders are currently imprisoned, and their sentences "could become even harsher." In Zourabichvili's view, the current political climate calls for the consolidation of society rather than rivalry between parties.
"These are not elections where one party or another tries to rally as many supporters as possible around itself. What is needed here is complete societal unity," the former president believes.
She urged the public not to wait for decisions from politicians but to take responsibility for the country's future into their own hands.
"We must wrest this future from the current regime. We cannot simply yield the country and silently watch what is happening," Zourabichvili declared.
The former Georgian president is convinced that society itself must become the primary driving force for change. Once citizens realize their own power, she believes, political parties will understand that they must "follow society."
"Society is the locomotive; society is the leading force, and it is society that will save itself," Zourabichvili said.
As for the parties, she believes they need to regain the public's trust by—at least once—placing "the country's interests above their own party interests."
"The country has but one interest—its salvation—whereas party interests vary. Now is not the time for rivalry between parties," the former president concluded.
Zourabichvili’s statement comes against the backdrop of criminal proceedings against the Georgian opposition. Notably, Nika Melia—one of the leaders of the "Coalition for Change" (the "Akhali" party)—Giorgi Vashadze (head of the "Strategy Aghmashenebeli" party), and former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili remain in custody. Several other prominent opposition politicians—Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Badri Japaridze—had previously been convicted for refusing to appear before a parliamentary investigative commission but have since been released after serving their sentences or receiving a pardon.
