On September 23, ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s opposition party, For Georgia, signed the Georgian Charter, a president-initiated roadmap for advancing Georgia’s EU integration, the party official confirmed to Civil.ge
Almost all opposition parties signed the Georgian Charter in early June, but Gakharia remained one of the exceptions. At that time, the party said it agreed with the Charter in principle but cited concerns about the provision for slating early elections in 2025, which “leads to a political and legal deadlock.”
Gakharia’s decision to join the Charter follows a week of failed negotiations between him and Lelo’s leader, Mamuka Khazaradze, to unite their election lists, mediated by President Zurabishvili.
President Zurabishvili has scheduled a briefing at the Orbeliani Palace for 8 p.m. local time today. The exact topic of the briefing was not announced.
With Gakharia’s signature, the Georgian Charter now includes nearly all pro-Western opposition parties. Yet, their pre-election campaigns appear to diverge from the Charter and its commitments, such as agreeing on Zurabishvili-proposed government in case of victory, scheduling early elections, or refraining from mutual criticism during the campaign.
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