**Georgian Dream Seeks Sweep Victory in Local Elections**
The ruling party, Georgian Dream, is confident that it will win all 64 municipalities in the upcoming local elections. According to Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the opposition has no chance of success and will be defeated even more severely than they were in the presidential elections.
Kobakhidze made his comments during a press conference where he stated that research shows Georgian Dream’s rating has improved since the parliamentary elections. He expressed his party’s ambition to achieve an even higher result in the local elections, indicating that victory is all but certain. “The rest is the opposition’s business,” Kobakhidze said, dismissing any possibility of opposition success.
**Why Opposition Chances are Slim**
So, why does Kobakhidze believe that the opposition has no chance? The answer lies in Georgia’s electoral history and the dominance of Georgian Dream. Since coming to power, the party has won both presidential and parliamentary elections with comfortable margins. In the 2016 presidential election, the incumbent president Giorgi Margvelashvili was defeated by Salome Zourabichvili, but only after a second round. However, in the 2020 parliamentary election, Georgian Dream secured over 90% of the seats.
This trend suggests that opposition parties face significant challenges in making an impact in Georgia’s elections. Even if they were able to gain some ground, it would be difficult for them to unseat the ruling party from power.
**Implications for Local Governance**
The implications of this sweep victory are not trivial. If Georgian Dream wins all 64 municipalities, it will consolidate its control over local governance and reinforce its grip on power at both national and local levels. This could limit opposition parties’ ability to challenge the government’s policies and may lead to further polarization in Georgian politics.
As Kobakhidze said, “The rest is the opposition’s business.” Indeed, but it remains to be seen how they will respond to the ruling party’s confidence of victory and what their strategies might be to mitigate the likely defeat.