Ana Tsitlidze: Levan Ioseliani’s speech and the reactions to it show that you cannot sit on two chairs at once – when Tsulukiani and Tsilosani mock you, that’s the fate you face when you sell yourself to the Russian regime for a high salary

The fate of the homeland is at stake today, which is far more important than a specific party’s 2 or 3 deputies in the local council. This is happening at a time when the government is illegitimate, unrecognized by any of our partners, and for the first time in Georgia’s history, we have a sanctioned government, said Ana Tsitlidze, one of the leaders of “Unity – National Movement,” on PalitraNews’ program “Day’s Newsroom,” commenting on the topic of opposition parties’ participation in local self-government elections.

According to her, “Unity – National Movement” has a firm stance on boycotting the elections and does not intend to participate under the conditions created by “Georgian Dream.”

“We have repeatedly discussed local self-government elections, including with ‘Lelo,’ and we have presented our arguments to them. Opening a discussion on this topic now is too late. The opposition should have made a decision on participating in local elections earlier. In reality, preparations for new elections begin the day after the elections, especially considering the rigged October elections. Nothing prevents further discussion, but our position on boycotting the elections is firm. Under this regime, it is impossible for any political party to prepare for elections, even if the parties agreed on a joint candidate. I believe this discussion is merely for the sake of discussion.

We must understand what is at stake today. The fate of the homeland is at stake, which is far more important than a specific party’s 2 or 3 deputies in the local council. This is happening when the government is illegitimate, unrecognized by any of our partners, and for the first time in Georgia’s history, we have a sanctioned government,” she stated.

Tsitlidze believes that opposition parties must play by different political rules because, as she says, “Bidzina is strong when he plays on his own field with his own rules.”

“Bidzina Ivanishvili is trying to make personnel changes, remove all sanctioned individuals, and create an illusion that he intends to mend relations with Europeans and Americans. Against this backdrop, I would have one question for everyone considering participating in local self-government elections: when Bidzina Ivanishvili writes the result he wants, what do they plan to do next? Today, Bidzina Ivanishvili fears two things: international reactions and sanctions, and internal resistance movements. Bidzina is strong when he plays on his own field with his own rules. In fair elections, he has no chance of winning. We must manage to bring Bidzina Ivanishvili onto our field and strengthen the resistance,” she stated.

Regarding the developments surrounding Kote Ioseliani, the husband of Tina Bokuchava, the chair of “Unity – National Movement,” Tsitlidze believes that “Ioseliani’s abduction was orchestrated by ‘Georgian Dream,’ with the aim of attacking the ‘Unity – National Movement’ party.”

“‘Georgian Dream’ has never had an adequate response to abductions. Now, too, they will not investigate, and the perpetrators will not be punished. It was ‘Georgian Dream’ itself that ordered what happened to Kote Ioseliani. Their target was Tina Bokuchava and ‘Unity – National Movement.’ We are their target, especially now, as we actively work with partners to impose sanctions against them,” she stated.

Regarding the possibility that the case involving Ioseliani might not be connected to “Georgian Dream” and could be linked to groups aiming to strike a political blow against “Georgian Dream,” Tsitlidze noted that “this is complete nonsense,” and the only one who benefits from his abduction is “Georgian Dream.”

“This is complete nonsense. Did we abduct Kote Ioseliani ourselves? The only one who benefits from his abduction is ‘Georgian Dream.’ Instead of urging law enforcement to investigate this case, the so-called ‘lawmakers’ claim, without any investigation, that it’s all a lie. How does Zarkua know it’s a lie?” she stated.

Ana Tsitlidze also spoke about People’s Defender Levan Ioseliani’s report on human rights presented in the Georgian Parliament and the criticism from “Georgian Dream” MPs, noting that Ioseliani is someone who sold himself to the Russian regime for a high salary, and it is unclear whether this country even has a People’s Defender.

“Levan Ioseliani’s speech yesterday and the subsequent reactions once again show that you cannot sit on two chairs at once. When Tsulukiani and Tsilosani mock you, that’s the fate you face when you sell yourself to the Russian regime for a high salary. There’s nothing surprising here. The fact that ‘Georgian Dream’ views the People’s Defender as an untrustworthy figure was clearly evident. The fact that Levan Ioseliani is the People’s Defender is a separate tragedy for this country. The People’s Defender should be the most important figure in protecting human rights, but Levan Ioseliani looks weak compared to previous People’s Defenders. The country is in turmoil, 500 people have been beaten and detained, the husband of the main opposition party’s leader was abducted, Bachiashvili was abducted… There is complete lawlessness in the country, and it’s not even noticeable that this country has a People’s Defender,” she stated.