“It’s really an existential issue,” according to Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia

If the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party wins next month, Salomé Zourabichvili fears “repression against the opposition and civil society”

“It’s really an existential issue”according to Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, Friday September 27 to franceinfo while the legislative elections of October 26 are a decisive turning point for this former Soviet Republic of the Caucasus. The population of 4 million is torn between an attraction towards Europe and a desire for Russian influence symbolized by the ruling Georgian Dream party: “Today the Georgian population has understood that the Georgian Dream is not a dream, it is a nightmare”explains the president. Georgia obtained the status of a candidate country for integration into the European Union last year, but the government’s policy modeled on that of the Kremlin has the scent of authoritarian drift.

Franceinfo: What choice presents itself to the Georgians on October 26?

Salomé Zourabichvili: This is the choice that Georgia has made since its independence in 1991 and it is a choice that it has confirmed almost constantly for 30 years to say that it wanted to be European to 80% of the population. This percentage did not change, even when Russia exerted very strong pressure, including through war, through the occupation of territories which are still occupied today. The population has never said to itself ‘let’s make friends with the Russians and things will get better, we will recover the territories’… Because there is no such trust. We have all the history to know how Russia has always behaved with Georgia. Today, the Georgian population has understood that the Georgian Dream is not a dream, that it is a nightmare and that this government which arrived by including in the Constitution the Euro-Atlantic European orientation, has in reality or made an about-face -face or has been from the beginning, but in a cautious, hidden, pro-Russian way.

Didn’t you see it coming?

No way ! Not at first, anyway. Then gradually, yes. Above all, things accelerated at the time of the war in Ukraine and since Europe gave us candidate status last December. Since then, the authorities have launched outright attacks which began against the American and then European ambassadors in Georgia, and then criticism against the second front that supposedly our European or American partners wanted to open in Georgia. Since the beginning of the year, it has been “our friends of yesterday are our enemies”, Russia has become the country with which we are complacent. It is very interesting to see that the Prime Minister at the United Nations podium at the General Assembly did not mention the word Russia, even though we have 20% of our territories which are occupied.

You did not have the power to prevent the authoritarian excesses of your country?

I had a power which is essentially a power of speech. It is an institution that does not actually have the means. Even my veto is a symbolic veto since it can be overturned by a majority in Parliament that exists today in favor of the ruling party. But it was a very important role in mobilizing the population, making them understand what is happening.

“Today I have the European flag and I managed to somehow unite the four main opposition parties who have now all signed the Georgian charter which is in reality our action plan to get back on the European path “.

Salome Zourabishvili, President of Georgia,

at franceinfo

This is how now the four parties go to elections and represent a majority that can beat the Georgian Dream. Separately, they cannot. Together they can.

If the Georgian Dream wins the elections, can Georgia say goodbye to the European Union?

In politics, we can never say that it is a final goodbye. But it is indeed not being able to take today this historic opportunity that Ukraine offered us in its tragedy, which is the acceleration of the process of European integration that we had started a long time ago, which has progressed, which got us visa liberalization, the association agreement and many, many things. This can all end. This is what the Europeans and Americans are now telling us more and more clearly with a sanctions regime that is being put in place. I have come to see my European colleagues to be sure that when we have voted well and obtained the regime we need, we will have an accelerated return to the European path.

What do you fear if the Georgian Dream wins?

I fear everything! First, there will be a repression which is publicly announced by Mr. Ivanishvili [l’oligarque multimilliardaire Bidzina Ivanichvili]who is the real leader of the Georgian Dream, in his election speeches. It is a repression against the opposition and civil society. It’s the Russian model, it’s the oligarchs. We have a law which has gone somewhat unnoticed, but which is an off-shore law, which is there to make Georgia a refuge for Russian oligarchs who could be sanctioned or who are already sanctioned. We will become a Russian-style society under complete yoke and control. So, goodbye to independence, goodbye to freedom, goodbye to all the achievements of this long process since the independence of Georgia in 1930. It is truly an existential issue.

What do you expect from Europeans?

What I’m waiting for is confirmation that we have a path that is open and that we can resume. The population should not be afraid, they should not stay at home. Our diaspora must be very active, even if we give it very few resources. It is essential and it is half a million young people who are voting for the first time, who demonstrated in the streets of Tbilisi and whom we have all seen on our screens and who are going to vote and who are free in their head because it is the generation that has been born since independence on which Russian means and methods no longer work.