Georgia's opposition leader calls for ‘intensified struggle’ after US House passes MEGOBARI Act

Salome Samadashvili, a leader of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia, on Wednesday called for increased public mobilization against the ruling Georgian Dream party following the passage of the MEGOBARI Act by the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday. 

Speaking to the press, Samadashvili described the passage of the US bill as a "powerful weapon" in the struggle for democracy in Georgia and urged citizens to mobilize for upcoming protests on May 9 and 26, emphasizing the “critical role” of the Georgian people.

“The propaganda of the Georgian Dream has collapsed. Now we must intensify the struggle because we have been given a very powerful weapon in the form of this Act,” Samadashvili said. “But it needs to be used to save the Georgian state and democracy, and the main hero here, of course, will be the Georgian people.”

The MEGOBARI Act - officially the Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act - passed in the US House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support, receiving 349 votes in favor and 42 against. The bill now moves to the US Senate for approval.