Speaker of the Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, claims that the opposition is failing to run a coherent campaign, is heading for a “historic defeat,” and thus resorts to “confrontation, negativity, and hate speech,” increasingly relying on “propaganda from outside the country” that “is setting the agenda for the opposition.” Papuashvili also presented a special report drafted by the ruling Georgian Dream party on “Foreign Interference in the Electoral Process.”
While in New York for the UNGA, Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili called on “opponents” of the ruling Georgian Dream party to “stop harming the country and [stop] those damaging actions that harm our country, our country’s foreign policy, and the interests of our people.” He also emphasized that the GD government has made every effort to obtain EU candidate status, as well as to achieve visa-free travel and a free trade agreement with the EU.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has qualified Transparency International Georgia, a local watchdog, and Vote for Europe, a public movement, along with their leaders, as political actors with respective election-related “declared” goals, and has demanded that they submit financial statements. “Transparency International – Georgia, its Executive Director, Eka Gigauri, as well as the organization Vote for Europe, its Director Khatuna Lagazidze, and co-founders shall be considered subjects with a declared electoral aim,” Razhden Kuprashvili, the head of the Bureau, said at the briefing.
The decision by the Anti-Corruption Bureau to qualify two CSOs as “political actors” and subject them to rules and restrictions intended for political parties has been slammed by CSOs and the opposition. They argue that the Bureau has exceeded its authority and is being used by the ruling party to stifle dissent.
The State Security Service reported the illegal detention of a Georgian citizen by Russian occupation forces near the occupation line of Tskhinvali. The agency says that all international mechanisms are being activated to ensure the prompt release of the Georgian citizen, blaming the Russian occupation forces for all destructive acts in the occupied territories as well as along the occupation line.
Boris Chele Kurua, member of Girchi More Freedom, reported that his bank accounts had been frozen for failure to pay a fine ordered by the court, although he claims that he had never received the court order. He was fined in May this year for artificially blocking the road during protests against the Foreign Agents Law. He was originally ordered to pay GEL 500 (USD 185) but now reports that GEL 50 (USD 18) has been added to the fine because he did not pay it on time.