Ruling Georgian Dream party official accuses opposition and NGOs of acting against Georgia’s interests

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday accused opposition parties, non-governmental organisations, and affiliated activists of acting against Georgia’s national interests and attempting to destabilise the country.

In a social media message, Machavariani criticised what he described as the “proxy opposition”, wealthy NGOs, and “ultra-left, pseudo-liberal activists”, claiming they had been behind a series of political campaigns and crises in recent years.

The ruling party lawmaker argued that protests organised shortly after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war were aimed at pressuring the Georgian government to impose sanctions on Russia, send volunteer fighters to Ukraine with official approval, and transfer military equipment to Kyiv.

Machavariani also revisited campaigns related to the imprisonment and health condition of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, accusing opposition groups and their international partners of spreading false claims that Saakashvili was being tortured or dying in custody.

According to the MP, opposition actors also sought international sanctions against Georgia and attempted to damage the country’s reputation abroad by portraying it as a route for circumventing sanctions imposed on Russia. He claimed that statements by Western officials praising Georgia’s efforts to prevent sanctions evasion contradicted those allegations.

The Georgian Dream representative further slammed opposition criticism of Georgia’s deepening ties with China and Central Asian countries. He argued that subsequent engagement by European and Western leaders with China and Central Asia demonstrated the importance of such partnerships and undermined opposition narratives.

Machavariani also accused opposition groups of trying to obstruct major foreign investments in Georgia through campaigns warning of the country’s alleged “Russification”, “Sinicisation”, “Iranisation,” and, more recently, “Arabisation”.

In his post, the MP claimed that opposition forces and associated organizations had attempted to organize revolutionary scenarios in Georgia on five occasions in recent years and had sought advice from foreign organizations and political actors. He further alleged that some protest strategies were aimed at escalating demonstrations into civil confrontation.

The lawmaker additionally criticised opposition parties for questioning the results of Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections, describing allegations of electoral fraud as unfounded.

Machavariani also defended the Georgian Orthodox Church, law enforcement agencies, and the government against what he characterized as coordinated attacks. He accused opposition groups and NGOs of conducting campaigns against the Church and clergy and criticized their opposition to legislation restricting LGBT-related issues in education and public policy.

Concluding his statement, Machavariani accused opposition parties, NGOs, and activists of serving foreign interests and pursuing an agenda of destabilisation and sabotage. He argued that they owed an apology to the majority of Georgian society for what he described as years of harmful political activity.

“You serve foreign patrons abroad and several ambassadors inside the country. Your agenda is the constant disruption, sabotage and destabilization of Georgia”, Machavariani wrote, adding that he and his political allies would continue to remind the public of what he called the opposition’s responsibility for past political campaigns.