On December 9, the pro-government media outlet POSTV published a video in which Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the executive secretary of the Georgian Dream, Mamuka Mdinaradze, and the leader of the political party “For Georgia,” Giorgi Gakharia, talk about ongoing events in Georgia and the inauguration in the United States. The video is accompanied by a description: “The confirmed radicalization plan.” Kobakhidze says that the next few months will be difficult because “some people are in a hurry” before the U.S. presidential inauguration takes place. In a fragment, Mamuka Mdinaradze says, “Before the inauguration in the U.S., they were building their entire plans that a new Maidan should take place in Georgia by the New Year, and with the new government, according to their thinking, they should meet the New Year.” Following the statements of the Georgian Dream representatives, Gakharia’s words are heard:
Giorgi Gakharia: We have been consistently following the plan called the first phase, and this phase, believe me, if we do not finish it, say, before the New Year, or… anyway, before the inauguration of the U.S. president, then know that after that, it will be too late.
The video collage creates the impression that Gakharia confirmed the statements of the ruling party representatives about the opposition’s plans to organize a “National Movement’s Maidan” before the U.S. presidential inauguration.
POSTV is manipulatively spreading Giorgi Gakharia’s interview, as if he is talking about the necessity of organizing a Maidan, i.e., an uprising similar to Ukraine’s Euromaidan in 2013-2014, in the country before the U.S. presidential inauguration. In reality, he was discussing the party’s plan to work actively in order to prevent the parliament and institutions formed after the falsified election from gaining legitimacy.
The leader of the party “For Georgia,” Giorgi Gakharia, was a guest on the TV program “Giorgi Targamadze’s Formula” on November 27. During the broadcast, he discussed that the country is in the first phase of a crisis and that everything must be done to prevent it from reaching the second phase, which would affect every citizen. Gakharia also addressed the actions his political party is taking alongside protests. As he explained, they worked actively to ensure that the diplomatic corps would not be represented at the first session of parliament. He also talked about other steps to be taken in the first phase:
Gakharia: In the first phase, our goal is that the parliament formed as a result of falsified elections, and the speaker, the government, and the president chosen by this parliament should not have legitimacy. We went out and said that in the presidential election, our representation in the electoral college, which is the largest delegation after the United National Movement, would not participate at all. We have been consistently following the plan called the first phase, and this phase, believe me, if we do not finish it, say, before the New Year, or… anyway, before the inauguration of the U.S. president, then know that after that, it will be too late. Therefore, we are now working focused on ensuring that these institutions do not gain legitimacy.
Host: So, to clarify, it is very important to do this before the activation of the Trump administration in order to insure against certain risks for the future and at this stage, to solidify a joint position in the U.S. and Europe regarding the rejection of the results of the elections held in Georgia. That’s why you mention the Trump administration.
Gakharia: Of course, yes, the election and the resulting institutional setup should not be legitimate.
The full quote from the respondent regarding the first phase makes it clear that he mentions the U.S. presidential inauguration in the context of the legitimacy of the elections held in Georgia. In his assessment, before the inauguration takes place, efforts must be concentrated to ensure that Georgia’s partners do not legitimize the country’s institutions. The journalist’s follow-up question clarified that accomplishing this goal before the activation of the Trump administration serves to insure against “certain risks” in the future.
The video collage made from the quotes of Georgian Dream representatives creates the impression that Gakharia is saying that an event similar to Euromaidan should occur in Georgia before the U.S. inauguration, and he considers this the completion of the first phase. However, the politician did not discuss this in the interview, making POSTV’s video manipulative.
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