The supermarket chain that the State Security Service (SSS) entered is close to Irakli Garibashvili’s group - that’s why they went in and launched an investigation! This is also part of an internal confrontation. Why haven’t they entered “Smart” and “Nikora”? - said Lasha Parulava, a member of the United National Movement, on PalitraNews’ program “Day's Newsroom.”

According to Parulava, Irakli Kobakhidze should look for the reasons behind high prices not on store shelves, but in decisions made within his own team.

“Kobakhidze’s team made life more expensive for people when they doubled excise taxes on fuel and tobacco, when they created the Pension Agency and imposed additional income tax payments. By their decisions, electricity tariffs increase every year and gas tariffs change. Meanwhile, the country is dependent on imports because for 13 years nothing has been created domestically. We have nothing to sell and buy everything - this is the result of ‘Georgian Dream’s’ economic policy. There is no competition because the entire economy belongs to their group,” Parulava said.

Parulava explained Kobakhidze’s initiative to bring political debates back to television by saying that “Kobakhidze knows well he is on a half‑sunk ship that will soon sink and is trying to save himself politically.”

“‘Georgian Dream’ is trying to normalize relations with the Trump administration but has failed. The conditions for resetting relations with the U.S. are the release of prisoners and new elections. ‘Georgian Dream’s’ ally Orbán has elections in the spring and his time is running out. ‘Georgian Dream’ knows it is in an international dead end. That’s why it is trying to introduce a narrative that this Soviet amphibian wants to restore Athenian democracy. Irakli Kobakhidze has nothing in common with democracy. When needed, his parliament adopted repressive legislation in one day, launched terror in one day, and jailed political leaders.”

He added that democracy and the restoration of democratic debates must begin not with statements, but with concrete steps:

“First, release opponents, then sit down for debates - and yes, we have a lot to say about corruption and high prices caused by their decisions.”

Parulava also spoke about opposition plans, noting that if the opposition does not act in unity, everyone will end up on the oligarch’s menu.

According to Parulava, Zurab ‘Girchi’ Japaridze’s initiative is not only welcome, but the United National Movement is ready to make its own political contribution.

“Repression, terror, political prisoners, political hostages in prison - this is already the daily agenda. Ivanishvili, Kobakhidze, and Mdinaradze took part in creating this agenda, and we all had to choose a difficult path. The commission created in an illegitimate parliament is, by law, an opposition instrument to investigate government wrongdoing. This instrument, like the entire country, was seized by Ivanishvili, and that is why the opposition did not participate in this absurdity. Everyone ended up in prison, while those who participated in this absurdity eventually fled to Germany.”

“We - the democratic society and democratic opposition forces - are united around two main demands: the release of political prisoners, an end to repression and terror, and new, free elections, because mandates must be restored. Free elections mean everyone must be able to make a free choice at the polling station. Neither today nor on October 24 did our fellow citizens have such an opportunity.”

“Our supporters are watching to see when the opposition will present a concrete action plan with leaders. What Zurab Japaridze has started is not only welcome - we are ready to make our political contribution to it.”

“If we are not united in our actions, all of us are on the oligarch’s menu - and he will eat us!” Parulava said.