Kakha Kaladze: ‘I don’t care about the EU, I care about His Majesty, the Georgian people’

Kakha Kaladze, Secretary-General of the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party and mayor of Tbilisi, has stated that he does not care what the European Union thinks about Georgia’s elections; what matters to him is the choice of the Georgian people, TASS reports.

Earlier, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos issued a joint statement noting that municipal elections in Georgia took place under conditions of widespread pressure against dissent.

“I do not care about the European Union at all. I care about His Majesty, the Georgian people. You must understand one thing: the rulers of this country are the ordinary citizens you see, not someone coming from outside. Remember this: this country is governed exclusively by His Majesty, the Georgian people,” Kaladze told reporters.

Municipal elections were held in Georgia on Saturday. Mayors and city council (Sakrebulo) members were elected in 64 municipalities. According to the Central Election Commission, after processing 100% of the polling station data, the ruling Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party won in all municipalities, receiving 81.7% of the proportional vote nationwide. The incumbent mayor of Tbilisi received 71.61% of the votes in the capital. Voter turnout was 40.93%.