Georgia's Parliamentary Elections

The leading parliamentary party in Georgia is Georgian Dream, since the United National Movement, chaired by Mikheil Saakashvili, has been defeated in 2012 elections. It can be seen from a couple of years' tendency that the direction of GD is claiming to be pro-western, trying to get a place for Georgia in the EU and NATO, but still possesses questionable aspects of rule and adds misunderstanding about what country of influence they eventually want to side with.

Even though the official diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia have been absent since the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, Georgian Dream has continued a balanced approach towards Russia in comparison to other governments that have widely stated their critical judgment over the Russian government’s policies.

During Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the Georgian government condemned Russian activities and contributed humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but did not endorse sanctions on Russia, facilitating an influx of Russian capital and highly qualified Russians to avoid military mobilization (Bigg and Bengali, 2023). Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili also stated that Georgia will not join Western sanctions on Russia because they would result in damage to the Georgian economy more than Russian one, exacerbating the mounting anti-government sentiment in the demonstrations. Garibashvili also pointed out that neither the West nor Ukraine put sanctions on Russia both during and after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, instead continuing "business as usual," including a Russian reset, while Georgia was predicted to sacrifice itself and "destroy its economy” (Civil.ge, 2023).

In early 2024, Georgia witnessed another major political crisis and widespread protests as a result of the reentry of the "foreign agent" regulations, which many residents saw as a threat to civil freedoms and democratic values. Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the parliamentary majority, stated that the measure was reintroduced because slush funds continued to circulate in the nation through non-governmental organizations and covert foreign sponsorship of political activities (1TV, 2024). Opposition said that the law, which requires groups and persons receiving foreign funds to be listed as "organizations carrying the interests of a foreign power," was intended to suppress dissent and limit the operations of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and independent media. Protests sprang out across the country, with protestors asking for the repeal of the legislation and "the preservation of democratic freedoms." The government's response to the demonstrations varied, with some attempts at discussion and many reports of police violence (Rayhan Demytrie, 2024).

On October 20, 2024, several thousand Georgians rallied in Tbilisi for a pro-European demonstration, only days before the elections. The protesters waving Georgian and EU flags merged on Freedom Square after marching from five different places across the city. The audience cried the national anthem and sung the EU song, Ode to Joy, while waving banners with statements like "Georgia chooses the European Union" (Euronews, 2024).

In reaction to the 2023-2024 protests, President Salome Zourabichvili announced the Georgian Charter, an action plan aiming at "fostering unity among opposition parties ahead of the parliamentary elections" on May 26, 2024. The Charter, released at Georgia's Independence Day celebrations, aims to provide a forum for the opposition to exhibit a united front. Zourabichvili's idea highlights a new electoral system in which voters will choose between the ruling party and a coalition of opposition parties. The proposal calls for appointing a temporary administration following the elections to execute important reforms aimed at "enhancing democratic processes and aligning Georgia more closely with European standards," after which new elections will be conducted. The president highlighted that the October legislature elections should be focused on "what direction the country should take rather than which individuals or parties should be elected". She explained that the 2024 elections will essentially serve as a referendum on whether Georgia wants tighter union with Europe (France 24, 2024).

On voting day, a polling booth in Marneuli had to be closed after evidence surfaced of ballot stuffing taking place there, during which an election observer was beaten because of filming the occurrence. Those watching from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe claimed the election was carried out in a "climate of hatred and intimidation," while European Parliament monitors blamed Georgian Dream of using "anti-Western and hostile rhetoric... encourage Russian misinformation, manipulations, and conspiracy theories" while declaring it was supporting European integration (Burrows, 2024).

Georgia's Parliament consists of 150 members elected for four-year terms. As mandated by constitutional amendments passed on September 26, 2017, the 2024 election will signal the transition to a completely proportional system. The Georgian Dream won the election with a whopping 53.93 percent of the vote, while the four major opposition coalitions that committed not to interfere with the Georgian Dream in parliament under the Georgian Charter got a total of 37.78 percent. Although, Georgian Dream was unable to secure a supermajority in parliament, which would have allowed them to push constitutional revisions prohibiting the main opposition parties (France 24, 2024).

1. Bigg, M.M. and Bengali, S. (2023). The Background on the Protests in Georgia. The New York Times. [online] 8 Mar. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/08/world/europe/georgia-protests-russia-ukraine.html [Accessed 14 Nov. 2024].

2. Civil.ge (2023). PM Garibashvili: we would destroy Georgia’s economy if we imposed economic sanctions on Russia. [online] Civil Georgia. Available at: https://civil.ge/archives/544091 [Accessed 14 Nov. 2024].

3. 1TV. (2024). MP Mdinaradze: State compelled to address opaque funding; bill targets all foreign funding sources, including Russia - 1TV. [online] Available at: https://1tv.ge/lang/en/news/mp-mdinaradze-state-compelled-to-address-opaque-funding-bill-targets-all-foreign-funding-sources-including-russia/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2024].

4. Rayhan Demytrie (2024). Georgia: Thousands rally in protest at ‘foreign influence’ bill. [online] 11 May. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cle0j5we2pno.

5. Euronews. (2024). Thousands of Georgians take part in pro-EU march. [online] Available at: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/20/thousands-of-georgians-join-pro-eu-march-in-tbilisi-ahead-of-next-weeks-elections [Accessed 14 Nov. 2024].

6. France 24. (2024). Talking Europe - Georgia’s next election will be referendum for or against Europe: President Zourabichvili. [online] Available at: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/talking-europe/20240503-georgia-s-next-election-will-be-referendum-for-or-against-europe-president-zourabichvili.

7. Burrows, E. (2024). Georgian president won’t recognize parliamentary election result, calls public protests. [online] AP News. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/georgia-russia-election-european-union-8f040cb30e1d9c9e778383cbcbb7b2c1.

8. France 24. (2024). Georgia opposition calls election results protests as president accuses Russia. [online] France 24. Available at: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241028-georgia-opposition-calls-election-results-protests-as-president-accuses-russia [Accessed 14 Nov. 2024].