In Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, billboards for fast-food chains and home-improvement stores have given way to politics. Slogans for parties vying for votes in Saturday’s parliamentary elections are everywhere. The media is no different — pro-government and opposition outlets are each scrutinizing daily events with palpable confidence that their side will win.
Depending on who you ask, much hinges on the outcome. This vote is said to be about Georgia’s future EU membership, peace, territorial integrity, economic growth, and even democracy itself. Both government and opposition capitalize on fears of another war with Russia like in 2008, yet provide opposing strategies for peace.
Preelection politics aside, Georgians routinely rank economic issues as their most pressing concern. The broader population is more moderate and balanced when it comes to foreign policy than categorical talking points suggest, wanting peace with Russia and good ties with the West. Yet more existential fears dominate Georgian political discourse. The upcoming election is no different, framed by all sides as a critical referendum on the nation.
Georgian Dream (GD), which has ruled since 2012, boasts a comfortable lead in available polls. Even if it does win, there could be a more fractured picture if the opposition parties and coalitions joined by the “Georgian Charter” increase their scores. Initiated by a one-time ally of GD, the sitting president Salome Zourabichvili, the Georgian Charter commits to closely adhere to EU accession demands, calls for a technical caretaker government, and plans to hold fresh elections in 2025 under “free and fair conditions.” As for the current government, GD promises not only to be the guarantor of peace, development, and…
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Auteur: Bryan Gigantino
