Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, has heavily criticized the country’s current political direction, saying that the government is following a model similar to that of Russia and Belarus. Speaking before the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Zurabishvili argued that Georgia’s institutions have lost their independence, and the ruling party is consolidating power at an alarming pace.
“This is complete state capture,” Zurabishvili declared, emphasizing that “not a single independent institution remains in the country.” According to her, the judiciary, the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and even the central bank have fallen under the control of a single political force. She pointed out that the National Communications Commission, which regulates the media, is also under government influence.
Zurabishvili associated this shift with what she called a coordinated effort to tighten state control. “Just today, Parliament passed three laws without any real debate. They rushed through three committee stages in three days,” she stated.
Zurabishvili linked this shift to the rapid passage of controversial laws in Parliament, which she described as a coordinated effort to tighten state control. “Just today, Parliament passed three laws without any real debate. They rushed through three committee stages in three days,” she stated. The measures include:
- A ‘foreign influence’ law modeled after similar regulations in authoritarian states, which expands government control over NGOs.
- A revision of the treason law, reviving a Soviet-era provision that could be used to target political opponents.
- New media restrictions, imposing tighter financial and content controls on broadcasters and other outlets.
Zurabishvili argued that these legislative changes, combined with restrictions on public sector employees participating in educational activities, imply that “Parliament and government are executing a playbook that is not written in Georgia.”
Apart from domestic policies, Zurabishvili also addressed Georgia’s changing geopolitical situation, mentioning that the Kremlin has increasingly approved the country’s leadership in recent years. She attributed this to a shift in Georgian Dream’s political direction, saying that while the party initially upheld Georgia’s pro-European aspirations, its stance began shifting around 2021.
“At first, they followed their program and upheld Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic course,” she explained. “In 2018, they even enshrined European integration as a national priority in the Constitution. But after 2021, we saw power consolidation, media crackdowns, and judicial interference.” She linked this shift to the war in Ukraine, when the government distanced itself from Western sanctions and began adopting more overtly anti-European rhetoric.
When asked about possible reasons behind this transformation, Zurabishvili suggested that Georgian Dream’s pro-European stance may have only been superficial. “Perhaps it was convenient as long as there were no major challenges. But as soon as pressures emerged, Russia exerted influence over individuals it has leverage on—Bidzina Ivanishvili being one of them,” she stated.
