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NL Georgia's unfair elections should not be recognised
The opposition gathered in front of the Georgian parliament on 28 October in protest against the conduct of the elections (Source: Flickr) An abridged version of this post appeared earlier in the FD Last week, elections took place in Georgia - a crucial moment for the country's geopolitical orientation. The [...]
Elections in Georgia: Fundamental Rights Under Pressure
This article was originally published on the website of the PvdA Pink Network On Friday 25 October, the FMS, Foundation Max van der Stoel, together with the Pink Network of the PvdA and WECF organised a political café on the important Georgian parliamentary elections that were about to take place the next day. The café was about democracy, the [...]
Choosing between Moscow and Brussels: an analysis of the Georgian parliamentary elections
Photo: Georgian flag - Flickr On 26 October, Georgia will hold its next parliamentary elections. This will take place against the backdrop of some controversial bills recently passed. For instance, on 17 September, the Georgian parliament passed a law officially banning any form of LGBTQ+ representation. In addition, earlier this [...]
'A mood of hope and anger' in Georgia as 'foreign agent law' passed by parliament
Photo: Graffiti in Tbilisi in April-May 2024 (source: Jelger Groeneveld, Flickr) On 3 June, the infamous law on foreign agents was officially passed by the Georgian parliament. A final attempt to stop the law by Saloma Zourabichvili, Georgia's EU-friendly president, was rejected by the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority. The [...]
Protests after proposed renewed 'foreign agents' law in Georgia
Photo: Georgian flags in the capital Tbilisi. Source. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the Georgian capital Tbilisi in recent days to protest against the reintroduction of a notorious 'foreign agents' law. The law was proposed on 3 April by Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and is a slightly modified version of a law [...]
Visit Georgia and fact-finding mission
Photo: Georgian flags in the old centre of the capital Tbilisi - Flickr In late October, a seven-member delegation from the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity (EFDS) visited Georgia. The group included MPs from several European countries and representatives of political foundations. The focus was mainly on foreign [...]
New naval base in Abkhazia next step Russian irredentism
Photo: Postage stamp of Abkhazia from 2008 - Wikimedia Commons You would think Russia would have its hands full with its all-out war in Ukraine that has been going on for more than a year and a half now. However, Ukraine is not currently the only victim of Russian expansionism. Recently, the breakaway region of Abkhazia, internationally recognised as part of [...]
Progressive Women of Eastern Europe want more cooperation
Last weekend, we organised the Progressive Women's Summit of Eastern Europe, together with the UK Labour Party and the Social Democratic Platform in Ukraine. Women from four Eastern European countries - Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia - came together in Kyiv, to share experiences and reflect together on possible solutions to the challenges they face.
A test for Georgia
A fierce campaign raged in Georgia in recent weeks. Yesterday, the second round took place of a presidential election that made it unprecedentedly exciting in the first round: the difference between the winner and the number two was less than 1%. The ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is backing an independent candidate, Salome Zurabishvili, against the opposition United National Movement (UNM) candidate, Grigol Vasjadze. The powerful GD threw everything into the fray, resulting in a huge mobilisation. This was also visible: the entire government campaigned and in capital Tbilisi, gigantic posters of Zurabishvili hung everywhere you looked. It worked: some 98% of the votes have now been counted and of these, she has 60% versus Vashadze's 40%.
