Ivanishvili Launches GD Campaign with “Global Party of War” Conspiracy as its Pivot

Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chair of the Georgian Dream, launched the party’s election campaign surrounded by his allies at the brand new grand head office of the ruling party and said, “The Global War Party has a considerable influence on the European and U.S. bureaucracy which creates an impression in Georgian society that Georgia has a conflict with the United States and the European Union, but the moment the war in Ukraine ends, the interests would shift, and this impression would instantly vanish.” His speech was reminiscent of the infamous speech he made on April 29 before the GD supporters, in which he strongly endorsed the “global war conspiracy theory” and announced repressions against the opponents following the October 2024 elections.

Ivanishvili argued that faced with the Georgian Dream’s relentless resistance to their plan of “opening the second front of [Ukraine] war in Georgia,” the Global Party of War has “decided to bring back to power the union of people without the motherland, the collective United National Movement” and named nearly all opposition party leaders, including former Georgian Dream Prime Minister, Giorgi Gakharia and President Salome Zurabishvili “who are ready to put their signatures to any order they receive” from the said Global War Party.

“Either you would start the war, or you leave [power]: this is an unacceptable proposition, and the Georgian people will give a clear response to it on October 26,” Ivanishvili stated.

He said the upcoming elections for Georgian Dream is the “decisive battle to support peace in Georgia, “end radicalism and polarization, maintain stability and peace, defend national dignity”, and as a result “preserve Georgia’s European perspective.”

He also warned than “even one wrong step will lead to the victory of the agents’ network.” He added that in order for Georgia to move forward consistently, “the collective UNM must be brought to justice.” He once again blamed the UNM for “engaging in the war” in 2008 and “temporarily losing Georgia’s territories.”

He presented the upcoming parliamentary elections as a referendum “between war and peace”, “between slavery and dignity”, “between the dark past and the bright future.” He said he is sure “that the majority of the Georgian people will support peace, dignity and prosperity”, which will be the basis for the physical and spiritual salvation of the Georgian people and for the European future.

“We have just maximum of one more year to survive, after which the global and regional interests would shift, and with them the interests in relation to Georgia,” Ivanishvili argued, saying that the war in Ukraine would end in a year at the most, but “if the Republicans win the presidential elections, it could end as early as next January.” The moment the war ends, “all misunderstandings with Europe and America will end, too,” Ivanishvili said. The new role of Georgia would be to be a bridge between Europe and Asia, he said, thanking in this context the Chinese government for friendship and support.

At the end of his speech, Ivanishvili introduced the Georgian Dream campaign slogan: With Peace, Dignity, and Prosperity to Europe. He set an objective of winning the constitutional 2/3 majority of seats in the Parliament so that the Georgian Dream can put an end to end the “agents’ network [agentura], radicalism, polarization and liberal fascism” and promised the “collective UNM a just retribution for all its crimes” after October 26.

The Full Text of Bidzina Ivanishvili Address (unofficial translation by Civil.ge)

Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I greet our fellow citizens, who in October must once again speak the decisive word and defend Georgia’s bright future. I recall 2012, when the opposition Georgian Dream defeated the United National Movement and made a significant breakthrough in the country’s development. In 2012, we left behind the regime whose hallmarks were torture, prisons full of illegal detainees, business racketeering, media capture, election rigging, and loss of control over Georgian territories.

Thanks to the unprecedented unity of the Georgian people, we defeated the bloody regime in 2012, and we thought that the United National Movement would never dare to return to the government. However, as it turned out later, their roots were deeper than we thought and they represented the network of agents [agentura] of the power with global influence, which today we call the Global War Party. It is precisely because of the patronage of the Global War Party that we have to fight this evil to this day.

The fight against evil has been going on continuously from 2012 until today. This struggle ended with the victory of Georgia and its sovereignty in 2016, 2020 and 2021. Despite the pre-planned attempt, the United National Movement and its protectors had to accept the election results in all three cases. Georgia is facing the October 26 elections under the same circumstances. In the October 26 parliamentary elections, Georgia will definitely defeat the power that has been intensively trying to create chaos in the country and drag it into war for the past four years. Georgian Dream will once again defeat the network of agencies, the party of peace will defeat the party of war.

For the collective United National Movement and its protectors, this is the last strike to bring chaos to Georgia and open a second front. For the Georgian Dream, this is the decisive battle to finally consolidate peace in the country, to put an end to radicalism and polarization artificially imposed from the outside, to maintain peace, stability and economic progress, to protect national dignity and, as a result of all this, to preserve Georgia’s European perspective.

This year’s elections are unique in one respect. Never before has a Georgian voter been so aware of the political events that have been unfolding in and around Georgia for years. Under these circumstances, it is even easier for the Georgian people to make a choice today. As a result, Georgian Dream has the highest support since 2012, with 60 percent of the population trusting it.

Over the past four years, despite the most difficult challenges and severe pressures, we have maintained peace in the country, doubled the nominal economy of the country in dollar terms, and achieved the status of an EU candidate country. All this was possible with the support of the Georgian society, which, despite numerous waves of disinformation and manipulation, did not make a mistake and protected Georgia from the tragedy that unfortunately unfolded in Ukraine.

There is no doubt that the Georgian people will make no mistake in the October 26 elections and Georgian Dream will once again get the majority of seats in the Georgian Parliament. But this time it’s not enough. We need an especially strong victory, which is equal to the constitutional majority, in order to finally put an end to the war party, the network of agents, radicalism, polarization and liberal fascism in Georgia; in order for Georgia to irreversibly continue its development, economic progress and reach the European standard of welfare, which is a necessary condition for the country to join the European Union.

For the irreversible development of the country, it is necessary to hold the collective National Movement fully accountable to Georgian society and the law. After the elections, they will have to be held accountable for all the crimes they committed during their time in power, especially for fulfilling the task in 2008 and dragging the country into the war, for which our country paid with the temporary loss of two of its historic regions. We lost control over 125 settlements, 412 citizens died, up to 2,000 people were wounded and crippled, and 26,000 of our compatriots became displaced persons in their homeland as a result of the war. That is why we need the maximum popular legitimacy.

Today, Georgia does not have the luxury to risk sacrificing our country. It only takes one wrong step and instead of the traditional New Year fireworks we will get Lomjaria’s fireworks [Nino Lomjaria, a former public defender, critical of the GD is often portrayed by the GD as the face of the “agents’ network” of NGOs. For us to never face such a critical choice, it is necessary to finally pacify our country, end the agents’ network, radicalism and polarization, after which our country will continue rapid progress and development.

Unfortunately, certain powers don’t give up the planning of the second front, which, they assume, will lead to the change of the difficult situation on the first front. The unprecedented pressure on Georgia, which has been exerted for several years now and which has intensified especially after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, is precisely the result of lobbying for the second front.

The Global War Party has a considerable influence on today’s American and European bureaucracy, which creates the impression in Georgian society that Georgia is in conflict with the United States and the European Union. But the moment the war in Ukraine ends, the interests will shift, and this impression will disappear immediately.

The aspiration of the Global War Party is clear. Since they are sure that we will not go to war and we will not sacrifice Georgia to share Ukraine’s fate, they are making the last attempt to bring back into the government the agents’ network, the collective National Movement, which will take this step as soon as they are tasked. That is why they are lobbying for the old and the new National Movement – Saakashvili, Gvaramia, Zurabishvili, Khazaradze, Gakharia, Bokeria and other politicians without a motherland who will subscribe to any order they receive. “Either you fight, or you leave [power]” – this is a totally unacceptable proposal, and the Georgian people will give a clear asnwer to it on October 26.

It is clear to everyone that if Georgia enters the war, the consequences will be even worse than in Ukraine. Avoiding this consequence is the first task that will be finally solved after another victory of the Georgian Dream in the October 26 elections.

We will have a maximum of one year to hold out, after which the global and regional political interests will change fundamentally, as well as the interests towards Georgia. The ongoing war in Ukraine will end in a year at the most, and if the Republicans win the U.S. presidential elections, the war could end as early as January. Therefore, the main thing is to gain this little time, and the moment the war ends, all the misunderstandings with America and Europe will immediately become a thing of the past and Georgia will become a completely different subject of interest for the global political actors.

Georgia is constantly developing and its strategic economic importance is growing. Historically, Georgia has connected the West and the East, Europe and Asia. We are doing our best to promote Georgia’s role in the Middle Corridor project. I would like to thank the Chinese government for its special support to Georgia. This is the result for which the Georgian Dream team and I personally have been preparing the ground for years.

I would also like to emphasize that deepening our cooperation with China is not an alternative to cooperation with the United States of America and the European Union. On the contrary, it is the complementary factor of the joint cooperation, which must be deepened in the coming years. For Georgia to develop its trade and economic connecting function, it is necessary to cooperate with both sides of trade and economic relations – the West and the East. I am sure that already next year Georgia’s efforts will be appreciated in the West. I am sure that everyone will recognize that by maintaining peace in Georgia we have done our job, Georgian job and their job.

The October 26 parliamentary election is a referendum. It is a referendum between war and peace, between slavery and dignity, between returning to the dark past and moving forward, between total lack of perspective and Georgia’s European perspective. I am sure that on October 26th the majority of the Georgian people will vote for peace, dignity and prosperity, which is the basis for the physical and spiritual salvation of the Georgian people and its European future. 

Only with peace, dignity and prosperity to Europe – this is the choice that has alternatives that Georgian Dream offers to Georgian voters.

This news was updated on July 1, 14:01 to include the full text of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s speech

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