For Georgia opposition party ends boycott, rejoins parliament

The opposition party For Georgia, founded by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, has announced that it will end its boycott and begin working in the country’s parliament, political council member Giorgi Sharashidze said.

He made the remarks during a briefing on October 20, noting that due to the opposition’s boycott, the parliament formed last autumn has so far operated without their participation, as all parties except the ruling Georgian Dream refused to assume their parliamentary mandates, Caliber.Az reports via Georgian media.

“The parliamentary boycott, which grew into a boycott of the entire political process, effectively removed the opposition from the political arena. As a result, the Georgian Dream was allowed to act very swiftly, without any resistance, and to intensify its authoritarianism, which led us to the provocations of October 4. We blame no one but ourselves! A year ago, we failed to convince society and the political spectrum that renouncing parliamentary mandates was a mistake, and this was followed by a chain of events that has led us to today’s dire situation,” Sharashidze said.

He stated that a year ago, following the parliamentary elections of October 26, 2024, their political team had unanimously decided to boycott Parliament.

“Sadly, we must acknowledge that this form of political protest failed to halt the Georgian Dream’s machinery of evil or to prevent the de facto authorities from making decisions so damaging to the country, such as suspending Georgia’s European integration process, adopting anti-democratic legislation that violates human rights, tightening the autocratic regime, perpetrating violence against peaceful citizens, stealing free and fair elections, and many other criminal, anti-national and anti-state actions,” Sharashidze added.

To recall, on September 2, 2025, Parliament confirmed the mandates of Giorgi Gakharia and his 11 replacement colleagues — Gela Abuladze, Jemal Ananidze, Ketevan Bakaradze, Rusudan Tevzadze, Malkhaz Toria, Shalva Kereselidze, Salome Kobaladze, Giga Parulava, Vika Pilpani, Giorgi Sharashidze, Tamar Khvedeliani and Sophio Khorghuani. The For Georgia party led by Gakharia did not retract its parliamentary list, and on this basis, Parliament decided to validate the credentials of the substitutes replacing the dismissed members.

Earlier, at the plenary session on July 2, 2025, Giorgi Gakharia and 11 representatives of his team — Teona Akubardia, Ana Buchukuri, Levan Gogichaishvili, Zaza Tavadze, Beka Liluashvili, Natia Mezvrishvili, Berdia Sichinava, Kakha Kemoklidze, Roin Kochorashvili, Dimitri Tsikitishvili and Zviad Dzidziguri — had their parliamentary powers revoked.

The ruling Georgian Dream party justified this decision by citing the repeated absence of Gakharia’s party members from parliamentary sittings without legitimate reason.

By Jeyhun Aghazada