Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of the Georgian Dream party, is leaving politics. He wrote about this decision on the social network.

Eight years have passed since the Georgian Dream came to power. Something unprecedented in the history of the country has taken place – the ruling party was able to obtain the mandate to rule from the people for a third term in fair and equitable elections.

This victory is the clearest, most distinct and indisputable recognition of our joint efforts and precisely this victory will lay the foundation for a new stage in the history of Georgia.

In my estimation, the latest Parliamentary elections are of historic significance. These elections have shown, in the most clear-cut manner, that the years-long practice of manipulating people’s feelings and changing the will of the people in various ways has come to an end. This destructive practice, which, I sincerely believe, has been consigned to the past once and for all, has very nearly plunged our homeland into an abyss. These elections have clearly demonstrated the public responsibility of the Georgian people, as well as their ability to consolidate and engage in rational and critical thinking. Our society has withstood unprecedented informational falseness and chaos, and made a choice in favor of the political force that will never betray the values that united and interconnected the largest part of our nation in 2012. The people finally began to believe that they themselves are the architect of their own future, that the power to govern is in their hands, and that it is they that must make the decisions that concern the development and advancement of the country. Therefore, the main winner of the most difficult political processes of the past years is the Georgian public, whose maturity and stability is the most solid foundation for the future of the country, rather than any political party.

I would like to remind you that the 2012 parliamentary elections were a classic example of one of the most flagrant instances of falsification, intimidation, bribery, and harassment of political opponents organized by the authorities at the time. Today, some people shamelessly boast that a peaceful transfer of power allegedly took place at the time, which, as always, is a lie and amounts to cynicism, as per tradition. In reality, in 2012, the Georgian Dream won a war and, through pressure and the sheer number of its supporters, forced the violent ruling team to cede the power, which they had captured over the years, in a democratic manner. Now, the situation has changed substantially – the Georgian Dream has achieved victory with a convincing advantage in free and democratic elections twice in a row, which clearly and unequivocally confirms our signature. Sullying the dignity and the choice of the people due to the temptation to retain power is alien to the current ruling team. We will never deviate from the path of democracy and freedom, which was properly appreciated by the wise Georgian public when it entrusted us with the privilege of being in power once again.