Leader of the Coalition for Change, Zurab Japaridze, has expressed his concerns on social media. He believes that participating in local elections in October will legitimize the regime’s rule.
According to Japaridze, if new parliamentary elections are not held and all political prisoners are not released, then participating in the local elections will mean:
* The Central Election Commission will approve the numbers from the previous election.
* The torture of hundreds of people by the regime will be legitimized.
* The sentencing of dozens of political prisoners will be legitimized.
* All recent restrictions on media, politics, civil society, and protests will be legitimized.
* The process of breaking international isolation will begin.
Japaridze also argues that there will be no pressure from Europeans to participate in the elections. He claims that the Council of Europe has already stated that these elections should be postponed.
He counters some common arguments made by his opponents, saying:
* Participating in the elections won’t lead to a stronger position for the opposition.
* The regime will manipulate the results and write whatever numbers it needs.
* The opposition’s strategy is unserious if they think they can win despite the regime’s control.
Japaridze concludes that participating in the local elections will only legitimize the regime’s rule. He believes that the opposition should focus on holding new parliamentary elections and releasing political prisoners instead of participating in a process that will benefit the regime.
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