Ivanishvili: On October 1, The Wheel of Georgia's History Turned Forward

"Today is the first of October, the day of the return of freedom; a day that expresses the unprecedented unity of Georgia and the Georgian people in the centuries-old history of our country. It is a day that signifies the main victory in the history of independent Georgia and the return of dignity to the Georgian people," says Bidzina Ivanishvili.

He refers to the previous government as a "shameful black spot," which, as he said, did not allow people to "breathe freely, express their opinions, fight for the truth, live with dignity, care for their families and loved ones, work, do business, get an education, and spend their old age with dignity."

"Patriotism is not only defending the motherland with a weapon in hand; it is also the courage to raise one's voice against injustice at the most difficult moments when no one dares to speak out. We dared! We were able to do the impossible... It was this unprecedented unity of our people that the current regime and their foreign masters could not resist! Therefore, this day is the common basis of our pride! It is a sign and symbol of the unity of Georgian citizens and the strength of this unity! This day is also ours, just like May 26 and April 9!" Bidzina Ivanishvili addresses his supporters.

Ivanishvili added that on October 1, 2012, "the wheel of Georgia's history turned forward."

"This tangible progress, which we all see, is the result not only of our determination and efforts but also of correctly walking on the fur bridge that we have traversed for the past 12 years and continue to walk today. Yes, until recently, we tried not to discuss this topic publicly, so as not to oppress the population. However, since October 1, 2012, the authorities of Georgia and Georgian Dream have had to walk on the bridge of fur to maintain continuous peace in the country and prevent what is happening in our neighbour Ukraine, as well as what we went through in 2008, with constant attempts to organize revolutions and disrupt the country by external or internal enemies. Let's not allow the rain of fire to fall on our cities, villages, and our children,” says the founder of Georgian Dream.

Bidzina Ivanishvili explains again why the Georgian Dream needs to obtain a constitutional majority in the October 26 parliamentary elections. In the ruling party's plans, the first target is the United National Movement, which is to be prosecuted.

"It is fundamentally important that Georgian Dream wins a constitutional majority in the October 26 parliamentary elections in order to:

First, declare the collective National Movement unconstitutional, and then prosecute it with all the rigor of the law for the regime that terrorized, murdered, and tortured its own population and unleashed the flames of war on itself;

Second, ensure that Georgia is ruled by a government elected by our people, not by the collective National Movement staffed by agents of foreign forces;

To fulfil a long-standing desire together and through peace, based on reconciliation and mutual building so that we can see our homeland united once again.

Finally, to permanently end the constant attempts to insult and degrade family, nationality, and faith. For the sake of the independence of the Orthodox Church, its strengthening and protection, the role of the Orthodox Church as a pillar of the identity of the Georgian state should be reflected in the constitution," Ivanishvili's statement reads.

Georgian Dream came to power after winning the October 1, 2012, parliamentary elections. As per data from the Central Election Commission, 1,181,862 voters supported the party, accounting for 54.97% of those participating in the elections.