"Georgian Dream’s various anti-democratic actions have violated the core tenets of our U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership ... As a result, the United States has suspended this mechanism."
Protests have now spread from Tbilisi to Batumi, Zugdidi, Kutaisi, Telavi, Gurjaani, and other Georgian cities, sparked by the government's decision to postpone EU accession talks.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) condemned Georgian authorities’ aggressive response against protestors in Tbilisi, according to a statement released on Nov. 29.
Protesters claim that the refusal to negotiate accession to the EU by 2028 is "a betrayal of the country's interests."
Georgia finds itself at a crossroads. The Oct. 26 elections, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory, have brought to the surface deep concerns about the integrity of our democracy. Civil society organizations, independent media, and the international democratic community have all raised alarms about widespread irregularities during
When local council members gathered in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia last week to discuss new measures promoting Russian investment, a group of protestors rose to meet them. The proposed legislation, which would have legalized Russian investment and land ownership in the occupied region, had already sparked unrest. On
"I am sure that the parties will not enter the parliament ... Today, whoever enters the parliament will enter Russia," Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Nov. 22.
Georgian police dispersed a protest in Tbilisi demanding new elections on the eve of Nov. 18, but organizers promised a quick resumption elsewhere.
Aslan Bzhania's resignation will take effect once protesters withdraw and disperse from government property, according to an announcement from the Russian proxy leader's press service.
Protests against a controversial investment agreement with Russia escalated into clashes in Sukhum, the capital of Russian-occupied Abkhazia. The proposed law seeks to permit Russians to purchase property in Abkhazia.
A Tbilisi court has dismissed all 11 lawsuits filed by Georgian opposition parties and civil society organizations seeking to invalidate protocols issued by district election commissions, News Georgia reported on Nov. 14.
The case against Reine Alapini-Gansou was launched under the article of "illegal detention," Mediazona reported without providing additional details. She has also been placed on the wanted list, the court told the Interfax news agency.
Georgia stands at a crossroads. The parliamentary elections on Oct. 26 were presented as a choice between a creeping authoritarianism and a drift into the Kremlin's orbit on one hand, and Georgia's EU aspirations on the other. A group of pro-European parties hoped to unseat the Georgian Dream, a party
"I am confident that President Trump’s leadership will promote peace globally and in our region as well as ensure restart in U.S.-Georgia relations," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on X.
While this represents only a small number of polling stations across the country, the authors of the complaint – Georgian Young Lawyers' Association – said the ruling sets a precedent for better protection of voting secrecy rights.
Thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside Georgia's parliament on Nov. 4 for the second consecutive Monday, protesting the Oct. 26 election, which they allege was rigged with Russian assistance to favor the ruling Georgian Dream party.
Two U.S. pollsters, commissioned by Georgian opposition forces, are questioning the official results of the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, which declared the ruling Georgian Dream party victorious.
In Georgia’s 2012 election, then-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s pro-Western party was defeated by Georgian Dream, a party led by the Russian-backed oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili. Though widely hailed at the time as a democratic triumph, astute observers warned against celebrating. One such observer was Georgia’s former economy minister, the
During a press conference in Tbilisi, President Salome Zourabichvili presented footage purportedly showing ballot violations. "It is not the President's responsibility to provide evidence that already exists within society."
The European Commission singled out the recent legislative amendments to the election process, frequent compromises on vote secrecy, procedural inconsistencies, intimidation, and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process.
The office summoned President Salome Zourabichvili for Oct. 31 as part of the investigation. The president refused to acknowledge the result, calling it a "Russian special operation" and urged voters to protest.
Georgia's Oct. 26 parliamentary election presented a clear geopolitical choice for the country’s voters, but criticism is mounting that the ruling regime stole the vote. After years of vacillating between the West and Russia and paying lip service to European integration, the country's ruling Georgian Dream party began to
"I would like to congratulate you on the fact that... you have not allowed your country to be turned into a second Ukraine," Viktor Orban said at a press briefing with his Georgian counterpart, Irakli Kobakhidze.
Georgia has descended into political turmoil that is set to shape the country for years to come. Although exit polls indicated that the pro-European opposition coalition would win the Oct. 26 parliament elections, the official results paint a different picture. The Central Election Commission announced on the evening of Oct.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken encouraged "Georgia’s political leaders to respect the rule of law, repeal legislation that undermines fundamental freedoms, and address deficiencies in the electoral process together."
"These elections cannot be recognized. This is the same as recognizing Georgia's subordination to Russia. ... No one can take away Georgia's European future."
"During our observation, we noted the cases of vote buying and double voting before and during elections, especially in rural areas," said Ioan Bulai, the head of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the chair of the opposition Gakharia For Georgia party, said that the announced results "do not reflect the will of the Georgian people" and called for "reasonable forms of protest" to "defend the European future and the institution of elections."
Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party captured 54.3% of the vote in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election, with over 99% of precincts counted, according to the country's central electoral commission.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, and opposition groups aiming to end the party’s 12-year rule declared victory on Oct. 26.
Footage surfaced earlier on Oct. 26 of an individual stuffing the ballot box at the polling station in the southern Georgian city of Marnueli.
Nino Lomjaria, a lawyer and former ombudswoman, reported on Oct. 26 that an election observer was attacked while filming a ballot box being stuffed.
