“In my opinion, the opposition should recognize the importance of attending the first session; everyone should enter, take their seats, and begin working,” said Aleksandre Rakviashvili, a member of the Girchi party.
“However, I understand that Khazaradze is unlikely to enter. Just as he once evaded Zarkua’s bullying, he’ll evade it again,” Rakviashvili remarked during the Free Market program.
Rakviashvili also emphasized that the opposition must acknowledge its mistakes and accept responsibility.
“Robespierre ended up having his head chopped off, and this opposition deserves a similar fate. The leaders must be held accountable. If there are any reasonable individuals within this opposition space—whether journalists or party members—whose opinions are worth considering, they should publicly and directly remove these ineffective leaders and enter parliament to engage in a long-term strategy. They need to admit their errors, including Gvaramia’s claim of having 4,000 observers and Melia’s assertion that no fraud could occur and that secrecy would be maintained—all of these statements have proven false.
They must take responsibility and say, ‘We apologize, Georgian people, and to the million voters who placed their hopes in us. We lost, and we currently have this regime. While some regimes have been worse, better ones can exist. Let’s focus on a long-term strategy to avoid repeating these mistakes.’
Parliament is a venue where people convene, where the majority that governs this country resides. The Georgian people comply with these lawmakers because they pay taxes and adhere to the laws. You enter this building, and when these individuals enact legislation, you criticize and contest them. When did it become a crime to sit alongside these lawmakers and critique them for bad laws? Why should my conscience prevent me from demanding new elections from that very seat? I could sit in this studio and call for elections, but if I were to take just 20 steps over to that seat, I would no longer have the right to demand new elections or express concerns about leaks. What, then, is the problem with simply sitting there?” Rakviashvili stated.