Anna Dolidze Says Her For People Party Won’t Run in Local Elections
Anna Dolidze said her For People party, which ran as part of Lelo/Strong Georgia Coalition during last October’s vote, won’t be taking part in the upcoming local elections, noting it would be “unjustified” to lead supporters “into this kind of sacrifice.”
“We do not consider the upcoming local elections to be any kind of contest, because there are no conditions of competitiveness present,” Dolidze said during the July 24 press briefing.
Dolidze, however, also refused to join the “boycott,” apparently referring to the campaign against the participation, saying that “amid widespread apathy in the country, we believe it is misguided to spend time and resources traveling from village to village and city to city, urging people not to do something.”
Instead, she emphasized that the For People party remains focused on its primary goal, which is advancing Georgia’s European integration. “To achieve that goal,” she noted, “the release of political prisoners and the conduct of new, fair parliamentary elections are essential.”
The party thus joins eight opposition forces, including Freedom Square, European Georgia, United National Movement, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Ahali, Girchi–More Freedom, Droa, and the Federalists, who won’t be taking part in the municipal vote slated for October 4, citing repression and their unwillingness to cooperate with the ruling Georgian Dream party.
However, two major forces – Lelo/Strong Georgia and Gakharia’s For Georgia – are determined to run, viewing the participation as an opportunity to further mobilize the resistance.
The issue of participation has become a point of contention among the opposition forces, particularly as six political leaders – including Lelo’s Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze – remain behind bars after being convicted for boycotting GD’s parliamentary commission. Ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who leads For Georgia, has been staying abroad while facing two separate probes over his 2019 actions when he served as interior minister.
Dolidze’s For People party ran independently in the 2021 municipal vote, but joined Lelo-led Strong Georgia coalition ahead of the disputed October 2024 parliamentary vote to boost chances of beating the 5% threshold. The party quit the coalition in June.
Also Read:
- 17/06/2025 – Treason or Opportunity – Opposition Squabbles over Municipal Elections
- 04/07/2025 – GD President to Pardon Jailed Opposition Leaders, If They Pledge to Run in Local Elections
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