"European Socialists," "Citizens," and "Third Force" are constructive opposition acceptable to the authorities, said Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia and political secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Garibashvili made the statement two weeks before the local elections, against the backdrop of the peak time of the election campaign and the escalating situation. The authority’s election campaign focuses on the fight against the radical opposition.
"There are [constructive] parties, the “European Socialists," the Elisashvili party, the Vashadze party… unlike the Gakharia and Lelo parties, which are part of the National Movement and Saakashvili," Garibashvili said, answering the question of which parties are constructive opposition in Georgia.
Meanwhile, all opinion polls before the elections indicate that the main battle in the elections will unfold between the "Georgian Dream," "United National Movement" and the Gakharia party. The rest of the parties will play the role of extras and receive no more than 5% of the vote.
