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:
- Tbilisi-Batumi 4-lane highway to be opened in 2025;
- Batumi-Sarpi highway project to begin;
- Highways connected to the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia to be finalized;
- New highway bypassing Lagodekhi;
- Tbilisi-Rustavi 4-lane highway;
- Anaklia port to receive first ships in 2029;
- New international airport to be built in Vaziani.
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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