Day: January 23, 2026

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), a local human rights group, said the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has begun examining complaints related to Georgia’s widely disputed October 26, 2024 parliamentary elections. The watchdog added that the ECtHR may grant the case “Impact Case” status, which could significantly influence or reshape human rights law.

In its complaint, GYLA claimed a massive violation of ballot secrecy and a breach of the right to have electoral disputes reviewed through effective mechanisms. It also argued that the “blanket norm” in Georgian law limiting citizens’ electoral complaints violates the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case consolidates three complaints and is being examined under Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to free elections, as well as Article 13, which ensures the right to an effective remedy. “The Court will also deliberate and assess whether the opening of an insufficient number of polling stations abroad violated citizens’ right to vote,” the organizations said.

The October 26, 2024, parliamentary elections were the first in Georgia that were conducted largely using electronic voting. On election day, numerous voters reported that the markers used to fill in ballots left visible traces on the reverse side, allowing outsiders to infer voters’ choices even when ballots were folded. The ballot listed the ruling Georgian Dream party as number 41 at the bottom, while major opposition parties were placed at the top or middle, making voters’ selections easier to identify.

These concerns were a key reason why the opposition parties and then-President Salome Zurabishvili refused to recognize the election results. Zurabishvili challenged the results in the country’s Constitutional Court, claiming breach of ballot secrecy and universal suffrage, and requested the annulment of the election results. The Court, however, widely viewed as influenced by the Georgian Dream party, rejected the appeal.

Before applying to the ECtHR, GYLA filed appeals with all district election commissions seeking the annulment of results from all 2,263 precincts where electronic voting was used, citing violations of ballot secrecy. The election commissions and subsequent courts rejected all complaints, except for the Tetritskaro District Court, which initially ruled in favor of the complaints. However, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals later overturned this decision.

In April, ahead of largely boycotted municipal elections, the CEC decided to install a protective cover above the slot where ballots are inserted into electronic devices to better safeguard voter secrecy. Critics widely interpreted the move as an implicit acknowledgment that ballot secrecy had been compromised during the October 2024 parliamentary elections.

Georgia must now respond to the Court’s questions by May 15 and present its position on whether the right to free elections was upheld at polling stations using electronic voting technologies. The authorities must also address whether the rules governing electronic vote-counting violated the principle of the secret ballot.

Also Read:

• 28/10/2024 – Georgian Opposition, Observers Collect Evidence to Reveal Alleged Vote Fraud Scheme
• 28/10/2024 – Blinken: U.S. Condemns Breaches of Int. Norms During Oct.26 Elections, Calls for Investigation

Looking ahead, the ministry plans to further develop multimodal transport corridors and integrate smart technologies to optimize operations. Nabiyev’s announcement underscores the Azerbaijani government’s commitment to strengthening the transport sector’s contribution to economic growth and regional connectivity.

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Azerbaijan National Art Museum has hosted lecture on Mirza Gadim Iravani’s artistic legacy, Azernews reports.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has praised the Georgian Dream government for what she described as their readiness not to break off cooperation with Russia at the behest of “external powers,” stating that Moscow aims to build “pragmatic relations” with Tbilisi.

Zakharova’s remarks come amid Russia’s ongoing calls to “normalize relations” with Georgia, while Georgian authorities maintain that the occupation is a “red line” for any restoration of diplomatic ties.

“Despite immense pressure from the West, the Georgian authorities declare their readiness to defend their national interests rather than follow the suggested path that leads to implementing the Ukrainian or Moldovan scenario,” Zakharova said at a January 22 press briefing when asked to comment on relations between the two countries.

“They do not want to break ties with Russia to appease external powers, as these ties allow the republic to achieve record GDP growth, higher citizen incomes, and other benefits,” she added.

She went on to say that Tbilisi “seems to be beginning to realize” what she described as the “false hopes” of joining NATO and the “deceitfulness of the promises of ‘golden mountains’” in EU rapprochement. “They are realistically assessing how they were misled,” she added.

Zakharova then said that Moscow is “interested in Georgia being sovereign and independent” and “not becoming a tool or a ‘toy’ in others’ hands,” adding that Russia understands Georgia’s “efforts to limit external interference in its internal affairs.”

“We aim to build pragmatic relations with Georgia,” she stated, describing ties between the two nations as “natural.” She also praised what she called steps by the Georgian authorities to protect “traditional values” from “neoliberal attitudes imposed from outside,” which she said were aimed at “eroding” Georgia’s national identity.

She then praised the economic relations between the two countries, noting that trade turnover grew 6% in 2025 to USD 2.7 billion, that Russia and CIS countries remain Georgia’s “main trading partners,” and that the number of Russian tourists increased 11% to 1.6 million.

“As for the resumption of political dialogue with Tbilisi, the prerequisites are currently absent,” Zakharova said, blaming Georgia’s previous government under Mikheil Saakashvili for cutting diplomatic relations. She added that it was “their choice, the ideology of that time and those people,” and noted that “more and more citizens and politicians in Georgia understand that the key to the country’s well-being lies not in confrontation, but in cooperation and dialogue with Russia.”

Zakharova also recalled the resumption of direct flights between the two countries, describing it as “the triumph of common sense,” saying, “Families, friends and businesspeople regained the opportunity to communicate with one another […] the way they had done for decades,” she said.

Also Read:

• 03/12/2025 – Russia Open to Normalizing Ties With Georgia, Sees No Ground for Political Dialogue
• 09/10/2025 – Russian MFA Praises Georgia’s October 4 Vote, Accuses Western ‘Actors’ of Interference
• 06/10/2025 – Russia Feels its Worldview Vindicated by Tbilisi Events
• 08/08/2025 – On War Anniversary, Zakharova Calls for ‘Concrete Practical Steps’ from Tbilisi

Opinion on political debates in Georgia

Political analyst Dimitri Tskitishvili has responded to a statement by Irakli Kobakhidze, the prime minister from Georgian Dream, on the importance of political debates.

He says that democratic debates are not simply a television show built around a single issue. In his view, debates can take place even when the sides do not meet in the same physical space, as is the case in Georgia today.

Georgian Dream PM: ‘We must bring debate back to Georgia’

Irakli Kobakhidze: “Democracy cannot function without debate”

On 22 January 2026, Irakli Kobakhidze spoke about the importance of public discussion and the need to restore a culture of political debate in Georgia. In a post on social media, Kobakhidze said citizens must be able to hear the positions of all political forces seeking power in public. He added that this would allow voters to make choices based on informed analysis.

Dimitri Tskitishvili said: “Democratic debates are not just a television show organised around a single issue.

Debates can take place even when the sides do not meet in the same space, as happens in Georgia today. Everyone speaks on their own platform, and virtual debates unfold on all major issues.

Does this create a democratic political climate in the country? Absolutely not.

When the government closes the media space it controls to the opposition, when it avoids critical media, when it demonises opponents through false propaganda, when it fines or jails people for expressing alternative political views, and when it captures all democratic institutions, calls for debates serve only one purpose.

Initiating debates under such conditions attempts to imitate a pluralistic democracy. It does nothing more. It is deception.”

Georgian Dream PM: ‘We must bring debate back to Georgia’

Irakli Kobakhidze: “Democracy cannot function without debate”

“Genuinely democratic debates cannot return simply because some people have grown tired of monologues and now want to watch political sitcoms.

If Georgian Dream truly wants to restore a culture of democratic political debate, several minimum conditions must be met:

• Debates must become an integral part of the political process.
• The ruling authorities must not hand-pick debate participants.
• Debates must focus on critical engagement with issues and arguments.
• The political process must be inclusive.

Above all, the political climate in the country must be normalised.

Otherwise, this will amount to a simulation. In that case, even the debates we have today — including virtual ones — are better than this.”

Opinion on political debates in Georgia

Peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States have officially started in Abu Dhabi, marking the first direct trilateral negotiations since the full-scale Russian invasion nearly four years ago, Azernews reports via Sky News.