The Daily Beat: 18 December

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili presented the Annual Report outlining the government’s achievements, such as EU candidacy, avoidance of war, and significant economic growth. His two-hour speech was largely focused on demonstrating the stark contrast between the successes of the incumbent Georgian Dream government and the failures of Saakashvili’s rule. PM Garibashvili repeatedly praised the ruling authorities and Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili and, in turn, detracted the former government.

In an interview with the government’s mouthpiece, TV Imedi, Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze claimed that Tbilisi’s sky would be “fully protected,” encompassing strategic locations like airports and military bases within two years. Minister Burchuladze further explained that the procurements already signed by the Georgian defense ministry will enable it to “fully cover all three layers of the capital’s airspace in two years.” In a 20-minute interview, he also praised the government’s efforts to maintain the peace and enhance the country’s defense capabilities.

German Federal Minister of the Interior and Community Nancy Faeser arrived in Georgia, where she is scheduled to meet with her Georgian counterpart, Vakhtang Gomelauri. According to the Interior Ministry, the ministers will sign a bilateral Agreement on Migration and Mobility to intensify efforts against illegal migration and bolster cooperation on readmission. The Agreement will also cover labor migration and education issues, enhancing educational and internship initiatives for Georgian students and researchers.     

In its statement, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) announced the cancellation of an entire channel and seven popular TV shows, citing the changes to funding rules and urged against the “politicization of the matter.” “The current situation creates a new reality for the organization, which is obliged, on the one hand, to maintain continuous broadcasting, to fulfill the content obligations, and, on the other hand, to change the planned programming based on the new circumstances,” reads the GPB statement. Why the GPB decided to cancel its most viewed TV shows remains unexplained.

The Constitutional Court upheld the Public Defender’s constitutional claim, declaring the requirement to notify the local executive body five days before a spontaneous assembly or demonstration unconstitutional. The court recognized the need for immediacy in certain situations, concluding that spontaneous assemblies fall within the protected sphere of freedom of assembly and demonstration. Until now, the Georgian Constitution has not provided for explicit interpretation of spontaneous assembly.

In a third reading, the Parliament adopted amendments to the Electoral Code and the Law on Political Associations of Citizens, prohibiting legal entities from donating to political parties. The adopted amendments also lowered the cap on annual spending by a political party, reducing annual expenditure from 0.05% to 0.04% of the previous year’s GDP. The ruling party representatives claim that restricting political donations by legal entities is one of nine conditions set out by the European Commission, while the opposition believes the opposite.

The Parliament approved the 2024 state budget, projecting an economic growth of 5.2%, maintained by a consistent deflator rate of 3% throughout the year and beyond. The average inflation rate is expected to be 2.8%, and the nominal GDP is expected to reach GEL 86 billion, signaling growth compared to the previous year. The financial parameters of the budget show a planned deficit of 2.5% in the combined budget, and the debt ratio is expected to be 38.0% of GDP.

Divided even in Victory

On Friday evening, the Georgian Dream government held an event on Freedom Square to celebrate the European Council’s much-awaited decision on granting Georgia the EU candidate status. Although this solemn event was supposed to project civic and political unity around a common European goal, the celebration looked more like a party gathering. President Zurabishvili was not allowed to address the people, while the Prime Minister, as well as other Georgian Dream leaders, voiced rather contradictory congratulatory messages. “Yes, we did not stand on one leg, and we did not kneel, but we stood firmly and won this victory with dignity – this historic victory belongs to you, our invincible, unbroken, proud, and freedom-loving Georgian people,” said PM Irakli Gharibashvili in his speech.

PM’s sovereignist sentiments were also repeated by the ruling party chair, Irakli Kokakhidze, and Tbilisi City Mayor, Kakha Kaladze, who later explained the President’s exclusion from the scene by her anti-government rhetoric and openly hostile stance towards the country’s EU advance.

In any case, the public celebration failed to address both the depolarization and the unity around the country’s core goals, leaving Georgia deeply divided even in “victory.”