Eight Opposition Parties Announce Boycott of Local Elections in Georgia
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Eight Georgian opposition parties have jointly announced they will not participate in the upcoming local self-government elections. The decision was made public in a joint statement delivered in front of Parliament by Elene Khoshtaria, leader of the Coalition for Change, on behalf of the parties.
The statement was signed by Freedom Square, Droa, Girchi-More Freedom, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, European Georgia, Ahali, and the Federalists.
According to the statement, the parties believe that taking part in the elections under current conditions would not serve the interests of Georgian citizens. Instead, they argue that participation would only provide a "facade of legitimacy for the illegal Russian regime" that they say currently governs the country.
The signatories declare that their path forward lies in total non-cooperation with what they describe as an undemocratic and oligarchic system. They vow to continue what they call a national resistance movement alongside the citizens of Georgia.
"We, the pro-Western political parties and groups of Georgia, whose goal is to dismantle Ivanishvili's Russian regime, protect Georgia's sovereignty, and bring the country into the European Union and NATO, jointly declare our refusal to participate in the so-called local self-government elections," the statement reads.
The parties say their focus is on ending the current political system through "principled, uncompromising struggle." They frame their boycott as part of a broader effort to establish democratic governance and secure a European future for the country.
With the announcement, Elene Khoshtaria also declared the end of her hunger strike, saying, "I am very happy that I am ending my hunger strike so that we can all move together to a very active phase of struggle." The Coalition for Change later confirmed that Gedevan Popkhadze has also ended his hunger strike.
