Speaking with journalists, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that he tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from the U.S., and cited his health condition as the reason for postponing GD’s election program presentation. PM Kobakhidze also addressed questions about tense U.S.-Georgia relations, pledging a reset of relations with “everyone,” including the “Global War Party” after the elections in the U.S. and Georgia, and the end of the war in Ukraine.
PM Kobakhidze also announced the appointment of Alexander Tsuladze as a new Education Minister, succeeding Giorgi Amilakhvari in this post. “It is a great honor and privilege to be part of your team,” said the new Education Minister from the government rostrum, standing next to the prime minister. Tsuladze served as the First Deputy Minister of Education from December 29, 2023, to August 2024. Tsuladze joined the government team after resigning from his lifelong position as a judge of the Supreme Court at the end of 2023.
President Salome Zurabishvili is visiting Brussels, where she has met with EU leaders, including European Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Less than a month before the crucial October 26 elections, discussions in Brussels focused on Georgia’s European integration, democratic reforms, the upcoming vote, and the EU’s support in this context.
On October 1, President Salome Zurabishvili visited Warsaw to participate in the Warsaw Security Forum and hold bilateral meetings with high-ranking European and U.S. officials, including her Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. During the meetings, the President discussed the pre-election environment in Georgia, the country’s EU integration process, and the Georgian people’s aspirations for a European future.
President Salome Zurabishvili refused to sign an anti-LGBT law passed by the Georgian parliament in September, leaving it up to the Speaker of Parliament to sign the controversial bill into law. The president didn’t use the more elaborate veto procedure, which would have sent the bill back to Parliament for review with proposed amendments, delaying final passage for weeks. Speaker Shalva Papuashvili now has five days to sign it into law. The law will come into force two months after the publication, meaning it won’t take effect until after the 26 October elections.
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. The move came after PM Kobakhidze urged the Bureau to reverse its earlier decision to avoid external interference in the electoral process by “foreign actors.”
The Justice Ministry has listed the first organizations on its registry of “foreign agents,” while the Constitutional Court has not yet ruled on the temporary suspension of the law, despite completing preliminary hearings a month ago. As of October 2, twelve organizations have been listed, with more expected to be added gradually.