‘The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on’: Arno Khidirbegishvili on international reaction to Georgia’s elections

 
Speaking with Alpha News, Arno Khidirbegishvili, CEO and editor-in-chief of the Georgian information and analytical agency GRUZINFORM, commented on the rallies of the Georgian opposition protesting against the election results.

“The protesting opposition cannot simply go home; it must show its electorate that it is protesting. But the protests will lead to nothing because they are baseless. The elections were held in a competitive, transparent, and free environment. Electronic voting was well organized. Of the 3,111 polling stations, violations were registered in only 11 polling stations, and 3,100 polling stations worked flawlessly. Many organizations and international observers gave the highest assessment to the Georgian elections.

The Georgian people and the ruling Georgian Dream party won a landslide victory, receiving 1 million and 100 thousand votes. The gap between the ruling party and the opposition party, which came in second, is 900 thousand votes, which is impossible to falsify,” Khidirbegishvili said.

Speaking about the international reaction to the Georgian elections, the expert said: “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”

“The international reaction is understandable. We have heard baseless statements from officials who do not have long to serve in their positions, such as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others. But they mean nothing. ‘The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.’ The Georgian people have recognized these elections, so have international organizations. And the opposition is completely discredited. This is all counterproductive,” Khidirbegishvili concluded.