Reacting to the Georgian Dream’s decision to further tighten the law on grants - including making foreign lobbying punishable under criminal law - Tengo Kirtadze, a leader of the Federalists, criticized the government as engaging in repressive politics.

“What money circulates today in the Georgian opposition and civil society wouldn’t even cover Romeo Miquatze’s wife’s birthday party. The Security Service knows exactly what resources political parties and civil society organizations have. Employees cannot pay salaries and often cannot even get to work using public transport. And yet, Bidzina Ivanishvili is afraid of 50,000 lari,” Kirtadze said during an interview on Palitra News.

He emphasized that this fear demonstrates weakness and insecurity at the top:

“Even that amount does not allow him to sleep well at night. This is the situation he has put himself in. Highlighting such a small amount shows how a person, who claims to guarantee the stability of the country, can act in practice. If we ourselves cannot cover a birthday with our own money, how can you be afraid of it? This is a clear sign of weakness.”

Kirtadze characterized the new legislative initiatives as a continuation of Georgian Dream’s repressive policies:

“My advice to Bidzina Ivanishvili: if these laws don’t work and fail to produce the desired results, he can just call them ‘canceled, canceled’ - maybe that will finally work. This chain of repression is what we’ve been witnessing in Georgia for years. Unlike other authoritarian regimes, these laws have not achieved their intended effect. That is the source of his anxiety. The Georgian people have shown unprecedented courage and love for their country, refusing to accept the repressive path chosen by Ivanishvili. From his perspective, these laws will achieve nothing positive; instead, they will only instill further fear in the vertical, which Ivanishvili worries might collapse.”

Kirtadze’s statement frames the new grant restrictions as symbolic of the government’s fear and continued authoritarian approach, rather than a response to actual financial threats.