It is difficult to find anyone other than current government officials from the “Georgian Dream” party that will claim the country’s October 26 Parliamentary elections were in fact “free and fair.” That said, after a partial recount and strong international condemnation from both election observers and western governments, the incumbent Georgian Dream party claimed victory and despite ongoing street protests, assumed a third term on November 25 with 89 of 150 seats in the country’s barely functioning Parliament.
Most opposition parties refused to participate in the new Parliament due to charges of electoral tampering. Nevertheless, the Georgian Dream party controls all key positions in Parliament at this point.
All of this happened despite the determined resistance of pro-western President Salome Zourabishvili, who has supported the protests since October from her largely ceremonial post, and who refused to attend the opening of Parliament, stating that without her presence at the opening, all of the new government’s official actions are unconstitutional. President Zourabishvili has been one of the loudest voices decrying Russian intervention in the electoral process, previously noting indications of a “Russian special operation.”
Her position is under attack, and Georgia had already approved constitutional changes that abolish the direct election of the president, as is currently done, and replaced this with a vote by a 300-seat electoral college consisting of members of parliament, municipal councils and members of legislatures of autonomous regions. On December 14 the new 300 member “College of Electors” did in fact elect Mikheil Kavelashvili to the post, supported by the Georgian Dream party. His election was unchallenged.
Path towards the EU blocked
On November 28, the European Parliament backed a resolution describing the October 26 election as the latest stage in Georgia’s “worsening democratic crisis” and declaring that the current ruling party was “fully responsible.”
Responding, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his government had “decided not to bring up the issue of joining the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028.” He said Georgia would still seek EU membership but only with “dignity” and on its own terms. This triggered the current wave of massive street protests. In a nutshell, the protesters see the government’s U-turn on the country’s long term EU accession plans as a betrayal of a national aspiration.
Human rights groups have accused police of torturing pro-EU protesters. Georgia’s ombudsman, whose role is to defend citizens’ rights, said he and his officials had met people subjected to “the harshest treatment” by police.
Last June, the EU suspended Georgia’s membership application process “indefinitely” after the previous parliament passed the extremely controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to the Russian law used to attack organizations critical of the government. In Georgia, the “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence,” is also referred to as the Foreign Agents Law and/or the Russian Law. In July, Washington suspended $95 million in assistance to Georgia after Parliament adopted the legislation despite several explicit U.S. warnings against this move.
New warning of U.S. sanctions
On December 4, Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stern new warning to the Georgian Dream-led government, the second sharp U.S. message to Tbilisi in several days:
“U.S. Support for the Georgian people
The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures. We call on Georgian Dream to cease its repressive tactics, including its use of arbitrary detention and physical violence, to attempt to silence its critics. We are particularly concerned by reports of serious injuries sustained by people at the hands of law enforcement. Those detained for exercising their human rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression must be released immediately, and officials responsible for the unlawful use of force must be held fully accountable.
The United States stands in solidarity with the Georgian people and their democratic aspirations. Those who undermine democratic processes or institutions in Georgia – including those who suppress Georgian citizens’ right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression – will be held to account. In addition to continuing our previously announced comprehensive review of bilateral cooperation, the United States is now preparing to use the tools at our disposal, including additional sanctions.”
On December 12, the U.S. State Department announced the first wave of its promised new sanctions measures. Excerpt follows: “The Department of State is announcing additional action today under the visa restriction policy that prohibits visa issuance to those who are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia. Today’s action will affect approximately twenty individuals, including individuals serving as government ministers and in Parliament, law enforcement and security officials, and private citizens.”
More sanctions promised – additional excerpt: “We are preparing additional actions, including sanctions, to hold to account those who undermine democracy in Georgia. Alongside the people of Georgia, we want to see a strong, prosperous, and democratic Georgia firmly integrated in the Euro-Atlantic community. Our actions today demonstrate U.S. resolve and add to previously announced actions implicating more than 100 Georgian Dream-affiliated individuals and their family members.”