Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, an authoritarian, pro-Russian group, is threatening to ban all opposition parties if it wins a majority in the October 26 parliamentary elections. This may be the last call for Georgia’s democracy, The Washington Post claims in its article ‘The final call for Georgia’s democracy.’
“Democracy cannot exist without free competition between political groups. That is why the latest reports from Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus region, are so alarming. The ruling Georgian Dream party, an authoritarian, pro-Russian group, is threatening to outlaw all opposition parties if it wins a majority in the October 26 parliamentary elections. This may be the last call for Georgia’s democracy. The United States can do more to save it,” the article notes.
The authors emphasize that what makes Georgia special among the former Soviet republics is that a large part of the population remains committed to a democratic future with ties to Europe, despite the Georgian Dream party’s ties to Russia.
“Georgia’s head of state, President Salome Zurabishvili, who comes from a small liberal party and is critical of the Georgian Dream, directly said in a speech last month that the elections are “existential.” ‘The choice will be between Russia’s slavery and cooperation with Europe,’ Ms. Zurabishvili said, the article states.
The authors also talk about the “Foreign Influence Transparency” law and state that similar laws are used in other repressive countries to stigmatize civil society groups and suppress their funding.
“When the Georgian Dream party tried to pass the repressive ‘foreign agents’ law earlier this year, which was created under legislation drafted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Georgian citizens took to the streets to protest what they called the ‘Russian law,’ and young people led the way. In the end, Georgian Dream won, overcame the presidential veto, and the legislation came into force.
“In other repressive countries, similar laws are used to stigmatize civil society groups and suppress their funding.
“The European Union and the United States have warned that the law poses a serious obstacle to Georgia’s accession to the European Union and NATO, which is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Georgian Dream and its Russian supporters support it,” the article states.
The authors of the article recall that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze “promised” last month to cancel the main opposition parties and coalitions if Georgian Dream wins at least 113 mandates in the 150-member parliament.
“Actually, it’s all one political force,” Kobakhidze said about Georgia’s opposition parties and coalitions, including the United National Movement, founded by the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, who was imprisoned by the current regime on politically motivated charges.
Mr. Kobakhidze did not say how Georgian Dream is preparing to destroy the opposition, but said that the ruling party will prove that the opposition, led by Saakashvili, provoked the invasion of Russia in 2008.
“This is absurd: Russia invaded Georgia, it still occupies 20 percent of its territory. It is possible that the prosecutor’s office will initiate a specific investigation, or a parliamentary commission will be created,” the prime minister said, adding that this would lead to the expulsion of opposition members from the parliament.
The authors of the article also write that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister of Georgia and the man behind Georgian Dream, has repeatedly called the opposition the front of a shadowy global conspiracy whose goal is to take over Georgia. According to the author of the article, this echoes Putin’s paranoid warnings about Western-inspired “color revolutions.”
“Polls show that almost two-thirds of Georgians believe that the country is on the wrong path and that it is time to change the governance of the Georgian Dream. The mood is especially strong among young people, the Washington Post writes.
“On July 31, the State Department announced it would freeze $95 million in direct funding to the Georgian government to protest ‘anti-democratic actions and false statements.’ Georgia’s EU accession has strong domestic support, but the EU has halted the process in response to the backsliding of democracy. These are smart, measured sanctions in response to Georgian Dream’s authoritarian tendencies.
“The United States must use the time before the election to raise its voice in defense of free and fair elections, fair counting of votes, and respect for the results. The citizens of Georgia need to hear from President Joe Biden and Congress that they will not allow a one-party state in Georgia. If the United States treats the situation with mild neglect, democracy may die in another politically promising corner of the post-Soviet world,” the article notes.
