Daily Cable – August 26, 2025

Ben-Gvir's Strange Visit - NBG: International Reserves Up by $1.3 mln - Lelo/Gakharia Present Sakrebulo Candidates, Boycotters Announce Rally, ISFED Speaks of Unfair Game - Amnesty Calls for Fair Trial in 11 Detainees Case - OTD in 2021: ODIHR Launched Election Mission What on earth is Ben-Gvir doing in Georgia? Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s controversial far-right National Security Minister, who isn't traveling much, is now visiting Georgia, but the true object of his visit remains obscure. He met Georgian Dream Interior Minister Gela (Geka) Geladze and, apparently, with GD PM Irakli Kobakhidze too, but the Georgian government sources stayed mum about that enounger. All we know so far comes from Israeli sources, which also attached the photo from the meeting. MIA press release didn't say much either, apart from standard information about strengthening cooperation and sharing best practices. Israeli sources were more revealing, making clear that a controversial Israeli official urged Kobakhidze to be more supportive of Israel's stance and "join the unambiguous call for the release of all hostages.” The outlets also quoted Kobakhidze's very reserved remarks that focused on Israeli tourists and the bond between the two nations. Israeli sources said the official visit took place on Geladze's invitation, but GD officials so far look anything but welcoming of the officials sanctioned by various countries, including the UK, Canada, and Norway, over “repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities.” The visit also follows the scrutiny towards Georgian Dream's flirt with Iran. A small protest rally was held during Ben-Gvir's visit, with activists displaying the Palestine flag from the Peace Bridge in Tbilisi. Read more details here. In Other News: Elections and Rally: Lelo/Strong Georgia and Gakharia's For Georgia, two opposition forces that are taking part in the October 4 municipal vote, presented their joint majoritarian candidates for the Tbilisi City Council (Sakrebulo) yesterday. Earlier, they picked Lelo's Irakli Kupradze as a joint candidate in the Tbilisi mayoral race. Also yesterday, the coordinating group of boycotting parties, now passing with a name of "Eight parties", announced a large march on September 13, to to European partners that the views of Georgian citizens differ from those of the one-party parliament as Brussel's deadline (August 31) on Georgia's visa-free future nears. The ruling Georgian Dream government has taken no visible steps to avert the risk of losing the main EU perk. Speaking of Elections, it's not only ongoing repression that makes the upcoming municipal vote unfair, but also gradual legislative changes that enabled Georgian Dream to re-taylor the system to favor the ruling party, ISFED, the key election watchdog, noted in its latest report. Those changes include abolishing the 40% threshold for majoritarian city council (Sakrebulo) races, a hike in the share of majoritarian vs proportional seats in Sakrebulo compositions, and modifying vote-counting functions to favor the better-scoring party. ISFED said earlier it won't be deploying a standard mission in the upcoming vote, but will be monitoring the overall process. Reserves Grow: Georgia's international reserves continue to grow, with Georgia's National Bank (NBG) reporting that the reserves increased by USD 1.3 billion since the start of 2025 and, as of August, exceed USD 5 billion. The bank continues replenishing reserves it had sharply reduced through large sell-offs last year. Read more in our report. Make It Fair: Amnesty International commented on the case of 11 protesters detained in December on charges of organized group violence. The detainees "must either receive a fair trial or be released immediately," the group said, arguing that "hearings and trials have been full of serious fair trial violations" and "charges appear politically motivated." The statement comes as the trial enters its final phase, with the verdicts expected in the coming weeks. Also, read more details about Russian companies winning state tenders here, and about the controversy surrounding the young man with disability who is in critical condition after being refused care by several hospitals here. OTD: From Civil.ge's Archives On August 26, 2021, Civil.ge reported: "The OSCE’s democracy and rights arm, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), opened today an election observation mission (EOM) for Georgia’s October 2 local self-government elections. The mission consists of a core team of 12 experts based in Tbilisi and 30 long-term observers, who will be dispatched throughout Georgia from 4 September. ODIHR also plans to request OSCE participating states to send 350 short-term observers, who would arrive several days before election day." Back to the present, Georgian Dream authorities are yet to invite the ODIHR observation mission for the municipal vote, in a clear deviation from earlier practices. Visual Stories: In another weekend tour, family members of detained protesters visited Georgia’s western Imereti region, stopping in four municipalities – Zestaphoni, Terjola, Kutaisi, and Samtredia – to distribute protest newspapers to local communities. Photos: Nino Saghiridze/Civil.ge Vendors in Zestaphoni market leaving through the prison newspapers, August 23, 2025. Photo: Nino Saghiridze/Civil.ge Families of detainees handing out prison newspapers in Zestaphoni market, August 23, 2025. Photo: Nino Saghiridze/Civil.ge

Daily Cable – August 26, 2025

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