People’s Power’s Viktor Japaridze Appointed Deputy Chair of GD’s Defense and Security Committee
On February 17, Viktor Japaridze, a pseudo-opposition People’s Power party member, was appointed as a Deputy Chair of the Defense and Security Committee of the Georgian Dream (GD) parliament. According to the press release, Japaridze’s nomination was put forward by People’s Power and unanimously supported by the committee members.
During the session, the committee’s chair, Aleksandre Tabatadze, also presented the 2025 draft action plan, outlining discussions on security legislation, oversight visits to military bases, and “public awareness campaigns on NATO integration.” Additionally, GD’s Deputy Defense Minister Grigol Giorgadze introduced an administrative agreement on classified information exchange between Georgia and NATO, which was “positively assessed” by the committee and submitted the document for ratification.
Who is Viktor Japaridze?
Japaridze, a former GD MP, became a key figure in the pseudo-opposition anti-western People’s Power. He acquired a majority stake in anti-western, pro-government propagandist media outlet, POSTV in 2022 and has been one of the vocal anti-western politicians of the GD-associated political elite.
People’s Power formally separated from the GD in 2022 but rejoined during the election campaign. It was behind the controversial Foreign Agents bill, which was first introduced in 2023 and then reintroduced and passed by GD in May 2024 despite heavy domestic and international criticism. After the elections its MPs again split from the ruling GD to form an “opposition” int he rump parliament.
In May 2024, after GD enacted the Foreign Agents law, Japaridze became the subject of public ridicule following a viral video in which a citizen called him a “slave.” Enraged, Japaridze grabbed an orange from a fruit stand and chased the protester. He was later confronted by a shop owner, Vitali Guguchia, who accused him of jeopardizing Georgia’s European future – an argument the citizen were largely seen to have won.
Three months later in August 2024, the Prosecutor General of Georgia charged Vitali Guguchia, with obstructing the journalistic activities of journalist, Natia Beridze, and cameraman of POSTV where Japaridze’s is the main stakeholder. Guguchia was later charged with assault and unlawful obstruction of a journalist and was ordered to pay GEL 5,000 (USD 1,900) bail, as ruled by Tbilisi City Court Judge Ekaterine Bebia.
Japaridze’s appointment comes amid a deepening political crisis in the country, following the suspension of 49 opposition MPs from three political alliances. The GD sits virtually alone in parliament. In an apparent attempt to create a semblance of opposition in a legislature that is seen by many at home and abroad as lacking legitimacy, three MPs broke away from the GD to form a new pseudo-opposition parliamentary group called the European Socialists. Like People’s Power, this group claims to represent a “healthy opposition” in the country.
In addition to participating in legislative activities, the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security and the Trust Group led by the Chair of the Committee monitor the activities of subordinate state institutions within the system of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, and the Ministry of Justice of Georgia – the Penitentiary Service, the State Security Service of Georgia, the Intelligence Service of Georgia, the Special State Protection Service and the legal person of public law – the Operational-Technical Agency of Georgia.
Also Read:
- 04/02/2025 – GD Parliament Opens Spring Session Amid Protests, Kavelashvili Addresses MPs
- 25/11/2024 – Parliament Convenes, Recognizes Credentials of All 150 MPs Despite Questions Over Their Legitimacy
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