Giorgi Rukhadze: The attempt to silence artists will have an absolute backlash – Ivanishvili’s regime will suffer a much harder blow than it expects - Who is Tika Rukhadze to tell Doiashvili what to do? I’m ashamed to share her last name

"We see at every step that Ivanishvili’s regime is a typical tyranny," said Giorgi Rukhadze, founder of the Center for Strategic Analysis, during the PalitraNews program “Daily Newsroom.”

Rukhadze was commenting on the dismissal of Davit Doiashvili from his position as Artistic Director of the Vaso Abashidze Music and Drama Theatre. He stated that, like in dictatorial regimes, the authorities are trying to silence free speech and art.

“When the process of establishing a dictatorship is underway in a country, and autocracy is being consolidated, the main obstacle is free thought and the free individual. Therefore, such regimes target precisely that. They try to silence free speech, talent, art, and bring it all under control. I am convinced nothing will come of it. It will have an absolute backlash. Ivanishvili’s regime will suffer a much harsher blow from this move than it anticipates. Who is Tika Rukhadze to dictate to Doiashvili where to work, what to do, what to stage or not stage? I am truly ashamed to share her last name. Everything that’s happening fits perfectly into the pattern of events typical for dictatorial regimes. In reality, we’re seeing more clearly with every step that Ivanishvili’s regime is nothing short of a tyranny. There is no longer any difference—except in scale—between the regimes of Putin and Ivanishvili, or Lukashenko and Ivanishvili,” said Rukhadze.

He further noted that Georgian Dream is weakening in terms of electoral support over time. However, according to Rukhadze, the authorities do not care how many people abandon the ruling party.

“Ivanishvili’s regime no longer worries about electoral matters because it believes that from now on, there will be no democratic elections in Georgia. So, whether many people turn against him or just a few, it matters little to him. The only things he truly cares about are money and power,” Rukhadze stated.

Additionally, Giorgi Rukhadze spoke about the upcoming local self-government elections, asserting that under the current regime, political parties should not participate at all.

“Preparing for these elections makes no sense, because there will be no democratic elections. I believe that if a political party is even slightly thinking long-term, it must understand one thing – under Ivanishvili’s regime, they have no political future, either alone or in alliance with others, unless the regime is defeated,” said Rukhadze.

In his opinion, the correct approach would be the unification of parties and a joint effort to secure democratic elections. He also commented on the statement by Giorgi Gakharia, leader of the For Georgia party, who has not ruled out participating in the local elections.

According to Rukhadze, under normal circumstances, Gakharia’s decision would make sense, but under the Georgian Dream regime, he must understand that in a dictatorship, the opposition has no future.

“In my view, Gakharia is limited by short-term thinking and believes that the rest of the opposition will fade away, leaving him as the sole occupant of the political niche the opposition currently holds. I repeat once again: in dictatorial regimes, the opposition has no future,” Rukhadze concluded.