Georgian Opposition Party Unsatisfied with EU Commissioner Visit
On November 15, Zurab Japaridze, the leader of Girchi-More Freedom, said on Facebook that the EU Commissioner Várhelyi stated that he was unaware that the Georgian Dream (GD) was refusing to deliver the draft law on deoligarchization to the Venice Commission. "In contrast to the European Parliament, he did not name Bidzina [Ivanishvili] before claiming that it is not about a specific person," he added.
Japaridze considers it miserable that someone ignorant of the facts, whether on purpose or by mistake, is supporting the Georgian Dream to uphold a pro-European image. "I listened to the European Commissioner, who implied that he is uninformed of the Georgian Dream's refusal to submit the draft law on deoligarchization by saying that it must first be presented to the Venice Commission. He did not mention Bidzina when he said it doesn't apply to a specific person, unlike the European Parliament. Then, in answer to a query on deoligarchization and political prisoners, he admitted he did not fully comprehend the situation in Georgia," the Girchi-More Freedom leader stated.
"He said that the judiciary is making progress. He might have thought Murusidze's reappointment of Gvritishvili to the High Council of Justice represented progress. He advocated for the opposition and the administration to work together in the same way that numerous European leaders desired that Zelenskyy and Putin communicate before the conflict. Unfortunately, someone who, in his own words, is not highly conversant is aiding a group of dishonest individuals operating under the guise of the Georgian Dream and pouring a lot of resources into the anti-Western campaign to maintain their "pro-European" image for a little while longer," he added.
"There will not be [EU membership candidate] status under Bidzina after a year. As long as they continue to hold power, nothing will take place in that direction. Instead, we will distance ourselves more from Europe," Zurab Japaridze concluded.