Georgia's Elections Represent a Referendum - Opponents Join Forces for the First Time
The significant choice Connects them: In Georgia, opponents are joining forces and presenting a united front against the administration that has ties with Moscow. Polls indicate that those in favor of transitioning towards the EU are in the lead. It remains to be seen if the outcome will be accepted post-election or if strife is on the horizon.
An alternative to aligning with Russia or the European Union: The decision in today's parliamentary election in Georgia is made by its citizens. A coalition of pro-Western parties is reportedly in a strong position to oust the current ruling party, Georgian Dream, which is close to Moscow. Just last week, tens of thousands of people in the capital, Tbilisi, protested for a pro-European direction for the former Soviet republic.
"Georgia's historically divided opposition has successfully formed an unprecedented united front against the Georgian Dream," says Gela Wasadze of the Georgian Center for Strategic Analysis. "However, if the ruling party refuses to step down despite the election results, there is a risk of post-election unrest."
Brussels puts the accession process on hold
When they took power in 2012, the Georgian Dream initially adopted a liberal, pro-Western approach. However, in the last two years, the government has shifted towards Moscow, according to critics. The party is controlled by the influential billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is not officially part of the government.
In May, the government passed a contentious law against "foreign interference." It mirrors Russian legislation against "foreign agents," which is used to suppress opposition. The Georgians took to the streets in large numbers against the law passed by their own government, prompting Brussels to halt the EU accession process with Georgia, and the US to sanction Georgian officials for "brutal suppression" of protesters.
At the beginning of this month, another law that further restricts the rights of the LGBTQ+ community strained relations between Brussels and Tbilisi even further. EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell expressed concern about Georgia's "slip towards authoritarianism" and described the election taking place on Saturday as a "critical test for democracy in Georgia and its path to the European Union."
"We're essentially having a referendum on the choice between Europe or a return to an uncertain Russian past," said pro-European President Salome Zourabichvili at the beginning of this month. The largely powerless head of state criticized the "increasingly open anti-Western, anti-European" stance of the government. Zourabichvili had unsuccessfully tried to veto the LGBTQ+ law and the one against "foreign interference" with her power.
The ruling party aims to secure an absolute majority in parliament to ban pro-Western opposition parties according to the constitution. The focus of their campaign is a conspiracy theory about a "global war party" that supposedly controls Western institutions and is attempting to drag Georgia into the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Kremlin, in turn, accused the West of "blatant" interference in the elections in the neighboring country.
"We must once again save the country on October 26 and choose between servitude and freedom, submission to foreign powers, and sovereignty, war and peace," said Ivanishvili at a campaign event in Batumi on the Black Sea. A poll by the US market research institute Edison Research shows the opposition coalition with 55 percent of the votes, significantly ahead of the ruling party at 33 percent.
The coalition includes Georgia's most prominent opposition party, the UNM of imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, and Achali, a party recently founded by former UNM politicians. Along with other smaller parties, they have united into a pro-European platform, planning to carry out sweeping reforms in election laws, the judiciary, and law enforcement. If victorious, the coalition plans to form a transitional government to implement these reforms and then call for new elections.
"On October 26, Georgians will defend their country's European future and democracy, and rid themselves of the 'Georgian Dream,' which is not Georgian at all, but pro-Russian," said UNM leader Tina Bokuchava. "A ruling party that threatens to ban opposition parties is doomed to fail."
The European Union has expressed concern about Georgia's "slip towards authoritarianism," as described by EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell. If the pro-Western opposition coalition wins in the election, they plan to form a transitional government and implement reforms, potentially resuming the EU accession process that was put on hold due to Georgia's actions.
