Presidential Candidate Zurabishvili Speaks of Threats towards Her Family
Independent Presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili, backed by the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD) says she and her family have received death threats.
Zurabishvili made the statement at a special press-conference on November 12, saying she and her children, Teimuraz and Ketevan, had received short text and voice messages, which included obvious threats to kill them.
“The threats are real as the authors have already been identified: former military servicemen affiliated with the National Movement and leaders," said Zurabishvili, linking the threats to the former ruling party United National Movement (UNM), the candidate of which, Grigol Vashadze, is Zurabishvili’s opponent in the December 2 runoff of the October 28 Presidential elections.
The candidate added it is embarrassing that the people who threaten her and her family, manipulate the name of the army, a symbol of dignity and bravery.
“With these actions, one more step was taken to establish tension and hatred in the country, and a certain political movement, its leaders, TV anchors and some supporters, are involved in this process,” she stressed.
Zurabishvili asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to investigate the case and called on the non-governmental sector to properly react to the violation of her rights.
On October 28, Zurabishvili got 38.64% of votes, followed by the candidate of the United Opposition, Grigol Vashadze with 37.74%.
After the first round of the elections, Zurabishvili said people should make a choice not only between two candidates or two parties but between two Georgias. She noted that Europe and Georgia’s modern future stand on her side.
Zurabishvili, 66, was born in Paris into a family of Georgian political emigrants. She received a secondary education in France and her higher education in New York.
She was a Head of the Division of International and Strategic Issues of the National Defence General Secretariat of France in 2001-2003 and was appointed as the Ambassador of France to Georgia in 2003. In 2004-2005, she became the first female Foreign Minister of Georgia.
In November 2005, she set up the organization "Salome Zurabishvili’s Movement." In January 2006, she announced the establishment of a new political party Georgia's Way but in 2010 she announced her withdrawal from the leadership of Georgia's Way and continued her career abroad, as a coordinator of the UN panel of experts on Iran.
Zurabishvili was an independent candidate in the 2016 parliamentary elections and GD decided to withdraw their candidate in Mtatsminda region to help her win the seat in the legislative body.
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