Bidzina Ivanishvili: Everything will be fine. Everyone will sleep peacefully on 27 October, but near future will be tense

“Gakharia suddenly announced that he should not touch the leader of the United National Movement. He also knew well that Saakashvili was planning to return and incite a revolution,” stated Gia Volski, the First Vice Speaker of Parliament. Volski responded to a statement by Bidzina Ivanishvili, who remarked, “Remember why Gakharia resigned in 2021. They knew the Georgian Dream was not planning to engage in war and had to dismantle it somehow. They used Gakharia to do this, but they did not achieve their desired results.” According to Volski, Gakharia’s actions could have caused immeasurable harm to the country. “Anyone who claims that Giorgi Gakharia did not intend to undermine the government or support the National Movement simply lacks analytical ability. What Gakharia did before his resignation reflects a betrayal, not just of a specific political team, but of the country itself. It was Gakharia who abruptly proclaimed that he should not interfere with the leader of the United National Movement. He was fully aware that Mikheil Saakashvili was planning to return to Georgia and orchestrate a revolution by various means. This is so evident that there can be no debate about it. Those surrounding Giorgi Gakharia have taken actions contrary to the state’s interests. Their betrayal is not merely a matter of party politics; if it is proven that Gakharia acted with the intent to harm the state, those accompanying him will be considered complicit in that crime. After the elections, we may uncover facts indicating collective betrayal or, perhaps, ignorance. The investigation should question individuals who have been acting against national interests for a long time and are currently plotting a revolution. Ultimately, the discussion will unfold in a court of law, rather than being confined to any one entity, even the ruling Georgian Dream party. Giorgi Gakharia committed an egregious betrayal, and we must examine why this happened and what connections he has with the National Movement. The UNM is at the heart of this issue. When discussing Gakharia, the truth must be revealed not because he enjoys a high approval rating—indeed, his rating is low—but to alert the public to the dangers posed by those active in our political landscape. Gakharia’s actions merit far harsher scrutiny than those of the UNM, which has consistently operated in this manner. His decisions could have inflicted immeasurable damage on our country,” concluded Gia Volski.

“We pledge that the country’s economy will grow from GEL 90 billion to 130 billion within four years, and the national budget will increase from GEL 28 billion and exceed 40 billion – these are our commitments,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists. According to the Prime Minister’s assessment, the situation in 2012 was extremely dire, with the economy at only GEL 28 billion and the national budget at just GEL 8.5 billion. “Pseudo-liberal propaganda is a severe global-scale problem, which Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili emphasized. He also addressed economic and social issues. You know the situation we encountered in 2012 – it was extremely severe, with the economy at only GEL 28 billion and the national budget at just GEL 8.5 billion. We have already managed to grow the economy from GEL 28 billion to 90 billion and increased the national budget from GEL 8.5 billion to 28 billion. Regarding our pledge, we commit to further growing the country’s economy from GEL 90 billion to 130 billion in four years. The national budget will increase from GEL 28 billion, and exceed 40 billion. These are our commitments.” “As for unemployment and poverty, the poverty rate today is 11.8%, which is half of what it was in 2012, though still high. We pledge that by 2028, unemployment will fall below 4%, which is better than the EU average. The same applies to poverty. The poverty rate, which was 30% in 2012, is now 11.8%, and in four years it will fall below 4%, meaning approximately 300,000 more of our citizens will overcome poverty. While 1,120,000 people lived below the poverty line in 2012 under the previous government, this figure has been radically reduced to 440,000. It will decrease to a maximum of 150,000 within four years. This is the current picture. These are our pledges, and our team’s position is clear,” stated the Prime Minister.

Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has shared a banner on social media highlighting the growth in budget revenues. In his post, Papuashvili states that had Georgia implemented sanctions, the country would be facing a deep economic crisis instead of experiencing budget revenue growth and economic development. “We must remember that if we had followed the reckless advice of certain foreign politicians and diplomats to impose sanctions, none of these achievements would exist today. We wouldn’t have seen the increase in budget revenues, we wouldn’t be Europe’s fastest-growing economy, we wouldn’t have managed to cut unemployment in half, and we wouldn’t have tripled the average salary. Instead, we would have had a satisfied opposition but would be mired in a deep economic crisis that would have taken years to recover from,” writes Shalva Papuashvili.