“Salome Zurabishvili is a person who, in 2025, discredited elections and all the political parties that were participating in local self-government elections. It is very good that she now realizes her mistake, but she cannot avoid responsibility,” said Vika Philphani, an MP from the party “For Georgia,” speaking to journalists.

According to her, elections have no alternative in Georgia, and understanding this does not require “Magyar-ism.”

Philphani noted that changing the government through elections requires patience, work, and constructiveness, and that a boycott cannot help any political process.

“Hungary is a good example for Hungary that elections have no alternative, but our team never needed the example of Hungary or any other country to understand this. We have always said that elections have no alternative in this country. The very people who today say that it is possible to change even an authoritarian regime through elections were campaigning against elections during the 2025 local self-government elections. Among them was Salome Zurabishvili, who yesterday said that elections are the only way to change the government. Salome Zurabishvili was one of those who discredited elections and diminished them as a tool for democratic change.

For 30 years, people in this country have worked to make elections a truly important part of political life, and millions have been spent to explain to citizens how important participation in elections is. This 30-year effort was undermined in 2025, before the elections, by these alliances and parties, who told their voters and the population of Georgia that elections have no value, which is unfortunate. We have always said that elections have no alternative in this country. This does not require ‘Magyar-ism.’ It would be better if they stopped competing over who is a ‘better Magyar’ and instead took responsibility for discrediting elections and corrected the wrongdoing they committed before the Georgian people, at least by apologizing.

Changing the government through elections requires patience, work, and constructiveness. A boycott cannot help anything or any political process. Therefore, power cannot be changed quickly through rushed plans, fixed dates, or revolutionary scenarios. Elections are the only way—and many of them have now realized this, including Salome Zurabishvili.

Salome Zurabishvili is a person who, before the 2025 elections, discredited elections and all the political parties that participated in local self-government elections. She said she would not participate in the elections and would instead attend the October 4 rally. She did nothing to preserve elections as a democratic mechanism in this country; on the contrary, she opposed it. It is very good that she now realizes her mistake, but she cannot avoid responsibility,” Philphani said.

For reference, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, stated that she believes in elections and wants the “Georgian Dream” to leave power through elections. According to her, changing the government through elections will put Georgia back “on its rails.”

“I believe in elections! This is a stable and peaceful path for the country,” Zurabishvili said in a video address posted on social media.