"I am far from the opinion that large rallies will frighten Bidzina Ivanishvili. He doesn't care what people think. His purpose is to stay in power," says Nino Kalandadze, director of the Chavchavadze Center and former Deputy Foreign Minister.
What will the large-scale rally on October 14 mean, whether the government will have to release Saakashvili. Kviris Palitra talked to Nino Kalandadze about these issues.
- Bidzina Ivanishvili arrested Saakashvili in order to demonize those 9 years. "Georgian Dream" is nourished by this rhetoric. Saakashvili's arrest was a symbol of the whirlpool that the ruling party is offering to the electorate. With this action, the population, both in the country and abroad, showed the world that it is unacceptable for them to blacken the past when Georgian state institutions were being established. There were many citizens at the rally who complained to the then government, nevertheless, took to the streets and said that if we want to build a Georgian state, we shouldn't catch the former presidents.
The Georgian people who came to the rally showed everyone that the rhetoric on which the "Georgian Dream" is based is groundless.
However, I am far from the opinion that crowded rallies will frighten Bidzina Ivanishvili. He didn't care what people thought, it appeared a long time ago. He ignores everyone's opinion. It is important for him to stay in power and keep Saakashvili in prison, as he could be a potential threat to Ivanishvili's power. Therefore, it is clear that Ivanishvili will do his best not to change this fact.
Don't have the illusion that something will change cardinally with this one action, but it is important to note that the population wants to live in a state and not in a country ruled by one person. We made sure that the Georgian people think independently and say what they don't like. For example, they don't like the fact that there were political prisoners in the country and the perspective of the real development of the country is taken away.
- Saakashvili continues hunger strike.
- This is a very bold step, although he knows the risk very well.
Saakashvili knows that it is not safe to be in the custody of an influential Russian government, especially one who is a direct threat to Putin. Taking on this risk means that no matter how the process goes, it will not be beneficial for the Georgian Dream. I think hunger is an extreme measure that will greatly damage his health and it will affect the political process. This doesn't benefit not only the "Georgian Dream", but also the state.
- Do you think the government will have to release Saakashvili?
- I think they will have to, although they don't want to. For the government, Saakashvili is such a big threat, obviously, there must be a lot of pressure as a counterweight. Imprisonment of a former president is a very heavy burden for any, including authoritarian government, especially if he is an international president.
- Will the pressure of the international community be counterbalanced?
- It will be, especially, against the background of the President's hunger, it will be growing every day.
- What should we do with the accusations made against Saakashvili? Or what answer should the government give to those who suffered during Saakashvili's rule? Today, they are collecting signatures not to release Saakashvili.
- "Georgian Dream" is collecting signatures to justify its policy. The fact is that no matter how guilty Saakashvili is, it must be substantiated. At the same time, the judicial process against him should have minimal trust, and our prosecutor's office and court don't have either national or international trust. So this is political persecution. Legal issues can be discussed in a state governed by the rule of law. Only then can we say that everyone is equal before the law, although we don't have such a state. There are no two opinions - Saakashvili is a political prisoner because he is a threat to Ivanishvili.
- There is an opinion that Saakashvili's arrival in Georgia took place in agreement with Ivanishvili.
- I think this opinion is speculative and unfounded. By no logic is this confirmed. Small parties were artificially created from the beginning to create the illusion of pluralism. Parties that have a 1% confidence level and the threshold for them have been artificially lowered were doomed from the start. They didn't scatter, because Saakashvili arrived, but they didn't exist from the beginning. So third, if talking about some forces is irrelevant.
- What will happen in the second round of elections?
- I think the promotions should continue, because the second round will be the same as in 2016 or 2018. It was a classic special operation. All elections were rigged. So I have no illusions that the second round will end in a fair environment. Hopefully, the opposition has a plan to be the bearer of the protest charge, otherwise we will have an illegitimate government for a long time.
