The confrontation within the opposition alliance is escalating. Nika Melia publishes a letter from prison, responding to Ana Tsitlidze’s accusation that “in 2024, Bidzina Ivanishvili personally wrote a high percentage for #4 [Akhali party] over the United National Movement.

“For two weeks, I have been hearing direct and veiled slander, very dirty slander at that, and to this has been added, from a particular quarter, from entirely the wrong place, personal attacks.

The most recent vile accusation I heard on Friday at 9 pm, directed at the Coalition for Change, which I take personally and for which I respond to this now unbridled and filthy campaign.

A political leader from the United National Movement dared to say on air that in 2024, Bidzina Ivanishvili personally arranged for list number four to receive a high percentage at the United National Movement’s expense.

He spouted this nonsense live on a critical television channel, unleashing a flood of poison that went unchallenged. The journalist sat there breathless, eyes wide, barely concealing his satisfaction as though his own talking points had just been repeated back to him by the guest.

This politician is from Zugdidi, a city I hold dear, in which I lived for a month during the 2024 campaign. In the city of Zugdidi itself, we recorded 27%; his party got 10%”, - writes Nika Melia.