The South Caucasus NewsTransparency International – Georgia, a local corruption watchdog and key election observer, slammed the Interior Ministry’s decision to empower U.S.-sanctioned official Zviad Karazishvili, also known as “Khareba,” to oversee the forming of “territorial groups” tasked with “detecting and preventing violations during the pre-election period and on election day. “Khareba,” one of the officials responsible for the brutal crackdown on citizens during protests against the Foreign Agents Law, has been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for serious human rights abuses.
“It is alarming that the Minister of Interior has not only not dismissed Z. Kharazishvili from his post, but has appointed him as the de facto overseer of the election-related processes,” TI-Georgia said, adding: “This means that “Khareba” and the “task forces” under his control can take action in cases where people gather near polling stations, however peaceful such gatherings may be.”
TI-Georgia calls on the Interior Ministry “to immediately revise his Ordinance and to repeal the Special Task Department Director’s involvement in the “territorial task forces” and the police forces’ power to take so-called “preventive measures” against the voters peacefully assembled nearby their polling stations.”
According to the decree of the Minister of Interior, the so-called “territorial groups” will be established to “detect and prevent” electoral violations in the precincts. This decree grants these groups the authority to bar individuals from participating in elections if they are reported for disrupting the electoral process. Given the lack of trust in the Ministry and its forces, the public has viewed this decree as controversial, especially upon learning that the U.S.-sanctioned “Khareba” will influence the process as he will be responsible for forming these groups.
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With just three weeks to go before Georgia’s crucial elections, the political environment seems to reflect this anticipation. The election is everywhere: in the media, on the streets, in conversations. The rhetoric is becoming more direct, and the election atmosphere is even influencing diplomats from partner countries, who previously refrained from directly calling out the Georgian Dream party for its misbehavior. The Georgian president has begun consultations with the opposition on the composition of the government, while at the same time visiting European capitals to secure their support for Georgia’s EU integration and receiving the GD announcement of another round of impeachment against her.
The following covers election-related updates spanning October 1-7:
Another Round of Impeachment: The Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili announced that the ruling Georgian Dream party will initiate another round of impeachment proceedings against President Salome Zurabishvili. The speaker said at a briefing that the reason for deciding to file the complaint with the Constitutional Court is the visits she made to France, Germany, Poland and Belgium. According to the Speaker, GD will file the complaint before the elections and will impeach the president during the very first parliamentary session after it achieves the aimed constitutional majority.
“Card Wars”: The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi responded to the Georgian Dream party’s spread of anti-Western disinformation by publishing a series of informational cards designed to counter false narratives with clear, concise messages. In response, Georgian Dream officials, including the Prime Minister and parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze, strongly criticized the initiative. The PM called on the U.S. Ambassador to look deeply into the work of the employee responsible for the cards, while Mdinaradze mockingly accused United National Movement representatives of getting holds of the Embassy’s Facebook account.
EU Ambassador Calls on Georgians to Vote: The European Union’s Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczyński, called on Georgians to achieve a “historically high” turnout in the upcoming elections, saying the country’s future lies in the hands of its citizens. In a scathing criticism of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s campaign methods and general anti-Western rhetoric, actions and policies, Herczyński said Georgia’s EU aspirations depend on free, fair and transparent elections, as the EU, which has suspended high-level contacts with the Georgian authorities, is ready to work with any democratically elected government after the elections.
Anti-Corruption Bureau Follows the Orders… The Anti-Corruption Bureau removed the status of “political actor with declared electoral objectives” from Transparency International-Georgia, a watchdog and key election observer, one day after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze requested it. After the Bureau reversed its decision, TI-Georgia announced that it would proceed with election monitoring under its name.
Parliament Speaker Signs the Anti-LGBT+ Law… Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili signed the anti-LGBT bill into law on October 3 after President Salome Zurabishvili refused to sign the bill but did not veto it. The Speaker, who co-authored the homophobic and transphobic bill, had five days to sign and publish the law after the President refused. The law will take effect 60 days after publication, more than a month after the crucial October 26 parliamentary elections.
President Starts Consultations on Government Composition: In an interview with TV Pirveli, President Salome Zurabishvili announced that she would begin consultations with the opposition parties that signed the Georgian Charter on the composition of the next – technical – government on October 7, saying that she had already chosen a good candidate with no political background to propose for the post of Prime Minister. The first round of consultations was held with the Coalition for Change leaders, who stated after the meeting that no names were named yet by the President.
President Announces Coordination Platform: President Salome Zurabishvili addressed Georgian citizens, including emigrants, from the Orbeliani Palace on October 7, calling for their mobilization for the October elections and announcing the creation of the Coordination Platform at the Orbeliani Palace on the day of the elections “to monitor everything that will happen on that day” and “to celebrate the victory together.”
MIA Creates “Territorial Groups” Linked to Sanctioned Official… The Minister of Internal Affairs Vakhtang Gomelauri issued a decree, establishing territorial groups composed of police officers tasked with “detecting and preventing violations during the pre-election period and on election day.” The groups will be based within local police departments. The groups will be headed by representatives of the MIA, including the representative appointed by the infamous Head of the Department of Special Tasks Zviad Kharazishvili (Khareba), who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for “undermining democracy” in Georgia.
Opposition-leaning Media Refuses to Air GD Ads: Three opposition media outlets refuse to air the ruling party’s political ad, that juxtaposes war-torn Ukraine with the peace Georgian Dream offers. The media outlets are the opposition-leaning Mtavari TV, Formula TV, and TV Pirveli, which face heavy fines for not airing the ad.
Emigrants Struggle to Vote: Georgian emigrants face a number of problems when it comes to voting in the upcoming elections. First of all, according to the decision of the CEC, the polling stations in Ukraine won’t be opened due to the military and political situation there, while the polling stations in Israel will be opened despite a tense security situation. Secondly, last week there was a huge public outcry after it became known that IDPs from the occupied territories who have emigrated abroad are refused the right to register for voting if they don’t have a residential address in the non-occupied part of Georgia. However, after the Ombudsperson’s involvement in the matter, the CEC issued a decree granting the right to vote to the emigrated IDPs.
Assessment of the Pre-election Environment: Partners of CoE Platform for Journalists’ Safety and MFRR, PACE members have published their mission interim findings on the media situation in Georgia. The findings of the Partners of CoE Platform for Journalists’ Safety and MFRR found that press freedom and the safety of journalists are at risk, the polarization is rising and there is a climate of fear in the country. PACE members expressed alarm at the ruling party’s apparent preparations to steal the October 26 parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, Coalition for Change leader Zurab Japaridze addressed the ALDE party Congress in Portugal and spoke about the pre-election environment and political situation in the country. The ALDE resolution adopted at the Congress stressed the importance of democratic reforms and free and fair elections, condemned the democratic regress and persecution of the opponents of the Georgian Dream government, and called for personal sanctions against Bidzina Ivanishili and his family members, as well as for “duplication of sanctions” already imposed by the U.S. against those undermining democracy in Georgia.
Russia Sure Georgians Will Choose Wisely: The Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, expressed confidence that Georgian citizens would make “the right and accurate choice” in the October 26 parliamentary elections despite “Western attempts” to “interfere” in the country’s internal affairs. The SVR claims that the OSCE/ODIHR, under the influence of the U.S. State Department, has prepared an interim report falsely asserting that there are no conditions for fair elections in Georgia, aimed at hindering Georgian Dream’s the rise to power.
“Election Compass” Launched… On October 4, “Election Compass” program was launched, which is a non-partisan web-based tool developed by Georgian civil society organizations with the support of international partners, including the EU. The website provides Georgian citizens with information on the political parties contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections, and on their positions on various policy issues, to help citizens to make an informed choice.
Attack on opposition: The Unity-National Movement coalition reported that its representative was attacked during a meeting with residents in the village of Kardenakhi, Kakheti. The party claims that the attackers were thugs sent by the government. Levan Metreveli, the party’s secretary for health issues, was physically assaulted and had to be hospitalized. Earlier, another opposition party, ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s “For Georgia” party, reported that its member, teacher Shorena Shamatava, had to be hospitalized due to the mental pressure she received from the ruling party after she was fired from her post as director of a school in Senaki and pressured to leave her teaching position because of her political views.
Edison Research Polls: The opposition-leaning Formula TV has published another poll by Edison Research, which it sponsors. The results, based on interviews conducted between September 17 and 29, indicate that if the elections were held today, the following parties would be above the 5% threshold:
GD Presents its Electoral Program: The Prime Minister of Georgia and the Chairman of the Election Commission Irakli Kobakhidze presented the electoral program of the Georgian Dream. The founder and Honorary Chairman of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili and the former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili didn’t participate in the presentation. The main promises of the party are:
GD Founder Celebrated 12th Year in Power: On October 1, the Honorary Chair and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, published his letter commemorating the 12th anniversary of GD’s coming to power in Georgia in 2012, calling the day “the day of the return of freedom”, “the unity of the Georgian people”, “the most important victory in the history of independent Georgia” and “the day when a Georgian man restored his honor.” The letter reiterated the GD rhetoric, framing the elections as a choice between the peace that GD offers and the war that the “Collective UNM” will bring to Georgia. It spoke of internal and external enemies of Georgia and the plans to prosecute the “collective UNM” members after the elections.
“Unity’s” Billboard Battle: The coalition reported that the outdoor advertising company Alma+, which is part of the Wissol Group, refuses to put up billboards with UNM campaign quotes because of their content, although they have already received the compensation they were contracted to receive. One of the leaders of the coalition, Giorgi Vashadze, stated that the company refuses to put up the billboards in line with the request of Georgian Dream.
UNM’s Chair at the EPP Assembly: On October 1, UNM leader Tina Bokuchava addressed the European People’s Party assembly and spoke about the current political situation in Georgia. She noted that Georgian Dream’s policies are derailing Georgia’s EU integration, “demonizing the West,” and highlighted the imprisonment of former President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Pro-Govt’ Media Refuses to Air Coalition Strong Georgia’s Ads… The pro-government channels Imedi TV and PosTV refused to air the paid political advertisements of the Coalition for a Strong Georgia and spread what the Coalition calls “disinfomation” about how the Coalition financed the advertisements after the Coalition appealed the media decisions to the Communications Commission. The Coalition claims that the decisions were made at the request of Georgian Dream.
Coalition for Change Holds First Congress: On October 1, the Coalition held its first congress in Rustavi, during which the leaders Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia, Elene Khoshtaria, and Zurab Japaridze addressed hundreds of gathered people with speeches centred on the need to ensure that the Georgian Dream Party loses the elections and the campaign promises that the Coalition has made to its voters. The main promise was reforms towards EU integration, reflected in the Georgian Charter.
Members Leave the “Chven” Political Movement: Davit Katsarava, Akia Barbakadze and Kakha Gogidze decided to leave the political movement “Chven” only two months after its creation. They were going to participate in the elections under the number “23”. The movement was a union of Free Choice-New Alternative, Strength in Unity and Regions for Georgia.
Regional Tours: The parties continued their traditional regional tours. The Georgian Dream held concerts in Akhmeta; Kvareli; Gurjaani; Marneuli; Sagarejo; Ninotsminda; Telavi; Borjomi; and Chkhorotsku. Coalition Unity met its supporters in Kakheti. Coalition for Change met locals in Rustavi. Coalition Strong Georgia members visited Tbilisi; Kobuleti; Guria; Zestafoni; Kutaisi; Ambrolauri; Tolebi; Imereti; Tsitelkhevi; Borjomi.
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On October 7, the Prime Minister of Georgia and the Chair of the Georgian Dream’s electoral headquarters, Irakli Kobakhidze presented the party’s electoral program. The presentation was attended by GD members and supporters, with the notable exception of the founder and the Honorary Chair of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili, and the party Chairman Irakli Garibashvili, who had approved the program beforehand.
Kobakhidze began by focusing on economic promises, saying that by 2028 the party plans to increase the country’s GDP to GEL 130 billion, GDP per capita to GEL 36,000, the state budget to GEL 40 billion, and the average salary to GEL 3,500, with public servants salaries increasing by at least 10% each year. He also shared plans to reduce the poverty threshold to 4% – about 150,000 people – and create 200,000 additional jobs by 2028, noting that with these ambitious plans, the country will be far ahead of other EU candidate countries by 2028.
To achieve all these, the Prime Minister stated that four main pillars will be maintained: effective economic policies, business freedom, peace and stability, and effective management. On the last point, he claimed that management is already at the highest level, saying: “If you focus on the intelligence of our economic group alone, it will surpass the entire opposition.”
Regarding the planned infrastructural projects, he listed:
Kobakhidze said that GEL 3 billion will be spent on agriculture in the next four years. In the energy sector, he said that the plan is for Georgia to be fully self-sufficient by 2030, with electricity generation exceeding 8000 megawatts in 2028 and 10,000 megawatts in 2030. In education reforms, he talked about the need to attract more students to the Ivanishvili-founded founded Kutaisi International University and also promised to build a new campus of the Tbilisi State University somewhere between Tbilisi and Rustavi.
As for the development of arts and sports, he promised that GEL 30 million would be allocated from the state budget for artists and GEL 2 billion for sports infrastructure, the main promise being the construction of a stadium with a capacity of 70,000 people for the Champion League games. For health care and social security, he promised that the new Republican Hospital will be built “for sure” and that its project will be presented very soon; Kobakhidze also promised to increase the pensions to 350-450 GEL next year.
PM said Georgian Dream plans to prioritize the development of the national military industry, in addition to improving social support for the military and police. The key initiatives include investing in military infrastructure, upgrading the material and technical base, and creating an “army city” to house over 1,000 soldiers. The party also aims to improve the living conditions of police officers, providing more than 1,000 of them with apartments in newly built housing.
According to PM Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream’s foreign policy priorities include resetting relations with the U.S. and the European Union, with a focus on European integration, to make Georgia as ready as possible for EU membership by 2030. The party plans to fulfill 90% of its obligations under the Association Agreement and the DCFTA by 2028. Strengthening cooperation with NATO and building a strategic partnership with China are also key goals, according to the PM. In addition, the party advocates a “pragmatic policy” towards Russia and a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
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