Campaign Beat: July 23 – August 5

Gershwin’s “Summertime and the Livin’ Easy” is not about Georgian politics in the summer: reports of repression and pre-election violence have decreased, but the tension of the upcoming elections is in the air: the elections are presented as a choice between Europe and Russia- by the opponents of the Georgian Dream, or between war and peace- by the GD government. As of this moment, parties and units are already starting their campaigns, but some have even collapsed unexpectedly. While the Foreign Agents Law is about to be practically implemented, the GD is threatening an imaginary war in case of political opponents’ victory, but the real battle is unfolding for every single vote.

The following covers election-related updates spanning July 23-August 5:

Election Environment

Foreign Agents Law Nearing Practical Enforcement…Starting August 1, civil society and media organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign sources have one month to register as entities “pursuing the interests of a foreign power”; a special Department for Financial Reporting under the National Agency for Public Registry has already been created with the aim to implement this very procedure. Meanwhile, many organizations had already vowed not to register as “foreign agents,” considering it “defamatory.” Those organizations that refuse to comply with the law, as Justice Minister Rati Bregadze said, will be subject to “forced registration,” although he did not clarify how this will be implemented. They will also have to pay heavy fines…

…And Constitutional Court Lawsuits Unlikely to Delay It: Three separate lawsuits against the law, filed by President Salome Zurabishvili, 121 civil society and media organizations, and 38 opposition MPs, will be consolidated into a single lawsuit, Merab Turava, Chair of the Constitutional Court, told journalists on July 29, adding that “comparative legal research must be done and it will take a minimum of several weeks, at least up to a month.” All three lawsuits were filed with the ultimate goal of repealing the law, but the plaintiffs also seek a temporary halt to the law’s unconstitutional provisions pending the court’s final ruling. However, given the problems with the independence of the judiciary, none of them seems to really expect the court to rule objectively, or at least to suspend the practical application of the law, even temporarily.

GD’s “Studies” Claim CSOs and Media Transparency Issues: In what appears to be preparation of grounds for the practical implementation of the law, the GD did two so-called “baseline studies” on civil society and media organizations in July, claiming their transparency issues. The latest, presented by GD MP Givi Mikanadze on July 29, examines 121 organizations that have filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court. This so-called study purports to assess how these organizations meet basic “transparency parameters” by evaluating whether they have a website and disclose information such as project names, donors, grant terms and amounts, the organization’s team, and annual reports. However, the so-called study manipulates broad statistics and numbers to suggest that the majority of these organizations do not meet the “minimum transparency standards.”

SSSG Talks (Again) About Alleged Coup, Terrorist Acts…And This Time Also An Attack on Bidzina Ivanishvili… On July 24, the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) officially framed the pro-government TV Imedi’s report of the previous day that a terrorist act was being prepared in Georgia, including an attack on GD Honorary Chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili, and a conspiracy to overthrow the constitutional order and the government. The SSSG alleges that former Georgian officials and law enforcement officers currently in Ukraine organized and financed these acts. As part of the investigation, several Georgian citizens who fought in Ukraine have been summoned to appear before the SSSG. 

and…Global War Party’s Agenda: The SSSG’s allegations were linked by GD leaders to global events. In particular, PM Irakli Kobakhidze referred to the assassination attempts against Slovakia’s Robert Fico and the United States’ Donald Trump, suggesting that the same “global political forces” might have targeted Ivanishvili. GD MP and parliamentary majority leader Mamuka Mdinaradze made the same references to Fico and Trump, accusing “pseudo-liberal fascism” of preparing an attack on Ivanishvili. Meanwhile, the opposition saw the SSSG’s allegations as yet another government-led manipulation aimed at sowing unfounded fear and misleading citizens. 

GD on Donald Trump, Change of U.S. Attitude Towards Georgia… After GD patron Bidzina Ivanishvili’s first public speculation that the Republicans victory in the U.S. elections would end the war in Ukraine sooner, more precisely by January, and subsequently change the U.S. attitude toward Georgia, was echoed by other GD leaders, including PM Kobakhidze and MP Mdinaradze. What’s more, Kobakhidze even drew a parallel between the GD and Trump, stressing that neither the U.S. under Donald Trump nor Georgia under the GD, were at war.

NDI Launches Long-Term Election Observation Mission: On July 24, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) announced the launch of its pre-election observation mission. It includes five long-term analysts (LTAs) and a mission director and will remain in Georgia through November, supported by additional Georgian-based assistants. The International Republican Institute (IRI) launched its observation mission a few days earlier.

Citizen Mobilization to Protect Votes: A new platform “Guardian of the Vote” was launched on July 24, by the Reforms and Research Group along with its partner organizations, involving CSOs, initiative groups, student movements, activists, influencers and journalists, a nationwide election observation platform. The platform aims to inform voters about election-related issues (such as how the electronic voting system works) and prepare trained observers for election day.

Mikheil Saakashvili Sentenced to Pre-Trial Detention: On August 2, Judge Mikheil Jinjolia sentenced ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili to pre-trial detention in the so-called illegal border crossing case. The UNM issued an official statement condemning the judge’s decision, saying that applying pre-trial detention as a preventive mechanism against already imprisoned Saakashvili is “not only a violation of legal norms, but it also makes it clear once again that the imprisonment of President Saakashvili is politically motivated and is the core reflection of the repressive policies of the Ivanishvili government”. 

Fake Residence Registrations Spark Voter Fraud Concerns: A citizen post on Facebook that went viral, shows a Central Election Commission screenshot demonstrating that six unknown people are registered at his home address (on the CEC website citizens can check their registration status and see who else is registered at the same address.) This heightened concerns about potential voter fraud, as being registered at multiple addresses could allow someone to vote multiple times in different precincts.

Edison Research Polls: On July 28, the opposition-leaning TV Formula published the results of an opinion poll conducted by Edison Research. The poll surveyed 1000 Georgian citizens across the country between July 11 and 24 (the margin of error +/- 2.5%)

One of the questions was: “If the parliamentary elections were held today, which party would you vote for?” with the parties that crossed the 5 percent threshold listed below:

• Georgian Dream / People’s Power – 32.4%
• Unity to Save Georgia (UNM, Strategy Agmashenebeli) – 17.3% 
• Strong Georgia (Lelo, For People, Freedom Square) – 12.8% 
• Gakharia for Georgia – 11.2% 
• Coalition for Changes (Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom, Droa) – 9.9% 
• (parliamentary) Girchi – 5.2%

According to the same surveys, 72% of respondents said they were certain of their choice, while 28% said they might change it. 

Campaign Trial

Government to Launch Paid Internships on Students As more Gen-Zs seemed determined to head to the polls in October, the government has launched a four-month paid internship program in the public sector for up to 3,000 students. From August 2 to 8, students can apply for the paid internships set to begin in September. According to Education Minister Giorgi Amilakhvari, internships will be offered in all ministries, state institutions and departments, as well as in municipal bodies, and interns will receive about GEL 500 (USD 185) per month.

“Strong Georgia” Officially Launches Pre-Election Campaign: On August 1, “Strong Georgia” (Lelo, For the People, Freedom Square) officially launched the platform’s election campaign. Leaders of the platform: Ana Dolidze, Levan Tsutskiridze and Mamuka Khazaradze, addressed the crowd with promising speeches focused on social reforms and building a “Strong Georgia”. The platform presents itself as a kind of political “middle ground” between the two mainstream parties, GD and UNM, and as a “real alternative” to the incumbent GD government. 

Ahali Holds Extraordinary Party Congress, Political Council Meeting: On August 4, Ahali held the extraordinary congress of the party, which approved the official name of the coalition under which it will be represented in the parliamentary elections: “Coalition for Changes – Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa,” with a ballot number of 4. On the same day, the party also held a meeting of the political council, which approved Ana Gogoladze and Ani Kavtaradze as deputies of the chairman of the political council. The political council also established the Women’s Organization, which will be headed by Ana Gogoladze.  

“Coalition for Change” Does Not Give Up On Emigrants: On July 25, the leaders of the Coalition for Change (Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa), Giga Lemonjava and Zurab Japaridze held a briefing on the participation of Georgian emigrants in the upcoming elections. They criticized the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIA) for not providing information on the number of Georgian emigrants registered in consulates abroad; called on the Central Election Commission (CEC) to open polling stations in cities where they have collected at least 50 signatures of Georgian citizens residing there; noted that they will inform international observation missions, including the NDI, about the obstacles created by the MIA and the CEC, which they believe hinder the ability of emigrants to vote; and called on Georgian citizens abroad to make the effort to go to the polling stations to vote, though they may be far from them. 

Opposition Tours Regions…and Some Even Beyond: 

• “Coalition for Changes” (Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom, Droa): On July 25, Nika Melia, co-chair of Ahali, visited Chkhorotsku, a town in Samegrelo of western Georgia; On July 27, Nika Gvaramia, co-chair of Ahali, attended the Democracy Festival in Tsalenjikha, where he met with local people and gave a promising speech to the people about some of his party’s key directions for the country’s development, including justice, education, economy, foreign policy…On the same day, other party members visited four towns in the Shida Kartli region; On July 31, the members of the Coalition and one of its leaders, Zurab Japaridze, Chair of Girchi-More Freedom, arrived in Kvemo Kartli and met with the residents of the towns of Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Gardabani and Marneuli; On August 2, Nika Melia, co-chair of Ahali, visited Kutaisi, one of Georgia’s largest cities in the Imereti region, along with other members of the Coalition, and also toured villages in the Zugdidi municipality in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia; On August 3, Coalition for Changes leaders and members attended the Democracy Festival in Telavi, in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia; On August 6, a meeting with emigrants in Rome, Italy is scheduled.
• “Unity to Save Georgia” (UNM, Strategy Agmashenebeli): On July 27, Unity to Save Georgia leaders and members kicked off a regional tour across Georgia, holding meetings with local communities. The first meeting was held in the western Georgian city of Tsalenjikha, the only city in the country where the mayor is from the opposition party. This was followed by a meeting in Zugdidi on July 28. On August 2, Giuli Alasania, mother of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, along with UNM leaders Ana Tsitlidze and Temur Janashia, met with residents of Zugdidi, a town in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia. No other meetings have been reported yet. 
• “Strong Georgia” (Lelo for Georgia, Ana Dolidze – For People, Freedom Square): On July 25, Lelo party members met with local residents of Sagarejo, a town in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia. On July 28, Strong Georgia leaders met with residents of Tsalenjikha and Chkhorotsku, towns in the Samegrelo region of western Georgia, and informed citizens of their union’s future plans and goals. According to Strong Georgia reports, the main topics of discussion are the plans and goals of their unity, including promises of a 1000 GEL pension, 200,000 jobs, paid internships for graduates, construction of mega-projects, including and focusing on the Anaklia Deep Sea Port, the fight against harsh drug policy, and other welfare, social reforms. These social promises appear as a leitmotif in the daily statements of the Strong Georgia leaders.
• Gakharia for Georgia: From August 1 to 3, members of the opposition For Georgia party of ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, together with its leader Gakharia, swung through several towns and cities in western Georgia, meeting with the local population. Among these spots were Tkibuli, Kutaisi and Vani in the Imereti region and Batumi, the coastal city of the Adjara region. A minor drama was also pumped up during one of the meeting when the ex-PM under the GD government was verbally confronted by some alleged GD supporters who accused him of “betraying the country,” to which Gakharia, in his diplomatic tenor, tried to cool the situation by clarifying that he had not betrayed the country, but rather left the party that had taken the Russian course.

…But Some Set on Talking to Voters Only Remotely: “Instead of roaming from village to village, the opposition should be talking about how they are going to make the people richer and establish justice,” said Vakho Megrelishvili, leader of the (parliamentary) Girchi, which shows less interest in face-to-face communication with citizens and is more comfortable pushing communicating on Facebook and Youtube podcasts. The party says it expects to get up to 10 percent of the vote in the elections after a campaign that it says will focus on privatization and judicial reform. It does not plan to unite with any force. 

This fits the pattern: Girchi portrays itself as an opposition force, however it does not participate in any joint opposition initiatives, including the President’s “Georgian Charter,” the parliamentary boycott of the opposition, or the joint lawsuit by opposition MPs to the Constitutional Court against the Foreign Agents law. From time to time the party has collaborated with the ruling GD on controversial issues, such as the abolition of quotas for women MPs.

“Gakharia – For Georgia” Launches “Election Monitoring Group”: At the July 24 briefing, Natia Mezvrishvili, Deputy Chair of the Gakharia-For Georgia party, said that the party is “activating” the “Election Protection Group,” and its main goal will be to expose the facts of election rigging and to protect the vote. The group will report election violations to the local and international observer missions. 

“European Georgia” Crumbles Over Internal Disputes: Following the party primaries, Giga Bokeria, the party’s chair, and his wife, Tamar Chergoleishvili, left the party with other members, as they announced on August 1. Bokeria said that some members of the party’s leadership had “decided to deviate from the set course,” and that’s why their paths had parted. Bokeria and Chergoleishvili accused Gigi Tsereteli and Akaki Bobokhidze, other senior members of the party, of bringing in supporters of GD, UNM, and other parties to participate in the primaries of the party, while saying that only the open supporters of European Georgia were supposed to participate. Although the list chosen by the majority of voters had Bokeria and Chergoleishvili in the first two places, they nevertheless left, citing their unwillingness to work with those they claimed were “sabotaging” the party’s ideals. The party leaders had often said they planned to go it alone in the October elections. Later that day, Chergoleishvili said that those who left European Georgia will establish a new political party. However, the legal deadlines will not allow it to participate in the October elections.

Also Read:

• 23/07/2024 – Campaign Beat: July 10-22