On November 15, the founding congress of the new political party “For Social Democracy” took place at the Marriott Hotel in Tbilisi. The political movement brought together professionals from diverse sectors, students, and emigrants, as well as labor rights and environmental activists.
Party representatives stated that they had been preparing for this milestone for two years. “This is horizontal work and a horizontal movement. We do not have a single leader, or two, or a select few. Everyone has their own role, their own significance. And this, by the way, is very similar to the movement that emerged in Serbia, which subsequently led to change,” one of the group’s members told the TV Pirveli channel.
According to the party’s manifesto, one of its primary objectives is to restore citizens’ ability to influence political processes. The organization has one month to submit an application to Georgia’s Ministry of Justice for official party registration. While party representatives do not expect the ministry to approve their bid, they insist they have no intention of abandoning their struggle.
“Following a century-long hiatus, a bottom-up leftist political organization is once again being established in Georgia. This means that the poorest and most disenfranchised segment of the Georgian population will have a voice through our political movement.
Under no circumstances will we resign ourselves to the injustice that has taken root here. Whether they register us or not, whether they launch a case against us or not is another matter. We are not holding this congress for the Public Service Hall [House of Justice]. We are holding it for one another—to demonstrate that we are many, that we share a social-democratic ideology, and that we are prepared to confront authoritarianism,” members of the new party stated.
