Opposition leader Japaridze from prison: “October 4 is not election but battlefield”

Lelo party leader Badri Japaridze has issued a defiant statement from prison, responding to former President Salome Zourabichvili’s remarks about Georgia’s upcoming local elections and the European Parliament's recent critical resolution.

In a letter shared on his official Facebook page, Japaridze emphasized that the October 4 municipal elections cannot be seen as a traditional democratic process, but rather as a "battlefield against authoritarian rule."

“We agree with President Salome Zourabichvili: elections are not taking place on October 4 — this is a battlefield, and we have decided to enter it alongside the Georgian people,” Japaridze wrote.

Addressing calls for boycotting the elections, Japaridze rejected the notion, saying authoritarian regimes are doomed to failure.

“Our position has always been the same — boycotts won’t work. They only strengthen the regime,” he said, adding that his party has consistently been a proponent of unity and continues to support the broader protest movement in Georgia.

Japaridze also echoed concerns raised in the European Parliament’s resolution adopted this week, which sharply criticized Georgia’s deteriorating political climate. The resolution states that current political and legal conditions undermine any prospects for free and fair elections, and warns that participation under such conditions risks legitimizing the ruling party’s grip on power.

“We agree that the electoral environment is degraded, filled with challenges, and that most political leaders are imprisoned,” Japaridze stated. “To prevent Georgian Dream from maintaining the status quo, we must wage an uncompromising fight.”

The European Parliament resolution also urged the opposition to unite in the face of growing repression and questioned the legitimacy of any elections held under current conditions.

President Zourabichvili, in her own remarks on July 9, said she is convinced that the October municipal elections will not take place in any meaningful democratic sense, calling it “a myth” to believe otherwise.