Op-ed | A Campaign to Derail our European Union Membership
The chairman of the opposition party asked Civil.ge for the right-of-response to the earlier op-ed by the Parliament Speaker, Shalva Papuashvili. We are publishing his message in full.
MP Levan Khabeishvili is the Chairman of the United National Movement
In Georgia’s parliamentary history, legislative convocations are remembered for their contributions to democratic history. The first convocation built the First Republic before the Soviet invasion. The second restored Georgia’s independence. The third wrote the Constitution. The sixth launched our path to Euro-Atlantic integration.
How will the 10th Convocation of Parliament be remembered in history?
With more than half of its term now completed, the picture is clear.
Botched elections, an annulled April 19 Agreement, a failure to respond to the July 5 violence, an absolute refusal to compromise, a refusal to allow President Zelensky’s address… And that’s only before June 2022.
When Moldova and Ukraine were granted the EU candidacy, Georgia was given the European Perspective, a bittersweet move forward, admitting that a lot was needed before we could join our Ukrainian and Moldovan friends.
Along came a list of 12 recommendations. All we’ve had to do was implement those reforms, and we’d see a true path to EU membership. But that has not happened.
We cannot talk of reforms “not being implemented” or “slowly enacted” anymore. For a majority of the issues listed in the recommendations, the situation is objectively worse today than it was twelve months ago. This is a direct campaign to derail our European membership.
For a majority of the issues listed in the recommendations, the situation is objectively worse today than it was twelve months ago. This is a direct campaign to derail our European Union membership.
We were asked to seek depolarization, and instead, politicized justice has increased with the continued detention of former President Saakashvili and Lazare Grigoriadis and the routine arrest and harassment of activists. Parliament has refused to hear opposition-proposed legislation. Inflammatory rhetoric is used to demonize critics, including through taxpayer-funded StratComs. Not only has there been no power-sharing mechanism introduced in Parliament, but GD has refused the opposition’s right to nominate a vice-speaker candidate.
We were asked to strengthen institutional independence. Instead, we saw GD launch a procedural war against the creation of investigative commissions, a weakening of the President’s role, a takeover of the National Bank, the Georgian Public Broadcaster, and the Central Election Commission, Speaker Papuashvili abolishing the right of MPs to visit prisoners as an oversight mechanism, and major violations of freedom of information. In 2023, 80% of MP questions addressed to public agencies were left unanswered.
We were asked to adopt true judicial reform. Instead, we have sanctioned judges, bills criticized by the Venice Commission, and further appointments to the High Council of Justice that deepen the influence of the Clan [a group of influential judges allegedly working on the behest of the ruling party are referred to by the opposition as “the Clan” – eds.].
We were asked to strengthen the fight against corruption. Instead, we’ve witnessed more high-level corruption cases, from the State Audit being unable to account for millions in the Ministry of Defense to public bids given exclusively to government allies. One of the latest examples is the Batumi Construction Amnesty which forgives millions of lari in penalties to illegally-built high-rise developers connected to the authorities.
We were asked for deoligarchization, for ending state capture for and by Bidzina Ivanishvili. Instead, Parliament sought a bill targeting the opposition while exempting Ivanishvili, despite condemnation from the Venice Commission.
We were asked for stronger efforts to guarantee media freedom. Instead, we saw Nika Gvaramia in prison, oppressive media accreditation rules, and alarming lawsuits filed against critical media.
We were asked to protect the rights of vulnerable groups. Instead, no action was taken against the organizers of the July 5 violence; GD leaders have launched dangerous anti-LGBT rhetoric, Irakli Gharibashvili spoke at the controversial conservative meeting, CPAC, and the ultra-right Conservative Movement has become the second-best funded party in Georgia.
We were asked to fight violence against women. Instead, Tatia Samkharadze suffered from a harassment campaign by pro-government television and law enforcement agencies.
We were asked to strengthen civil society. Instead, we got the Foreign Agents bill.
Speaker Papuashvili speaks about his bewilderment at our partners for having “reneged” on Georgia. His party continuously uses gaslighting talking points of “seeking peace” or “practicing strategic patience.”
At no point does “strategic patience” implies attacks against our democracy. It was not strategic patience that made GD attack civil society, arrest opponents, and launch a procedural war in Parliament to shield corrupt judges. It was not Georgia’s strategic partners that made the GD launch homophobic campaigns and implement discriminatory media accreditation rules, and take over both the National Bank and the CEC via legislative fiat.
In fact, if the recommendations were issued today, we would likely have seen more than twelve. Avoiding sanctions evasion and foreign policy alignment come to mind as potential additional points to address.
Georgia deserves the EU candidacy. But only because of a long history – of generations that have fought and died for those values that make us truly European – tolerance, freedom, democracy.
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