GEORGIA: EU Council against the Government & more – 17th Oct 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 17th of October twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Monday, 14th, Reuters reported that the EU is planning to warn Georgians about the threat its government poses to European integration. This might happen during the EU Council summit, which will be held on Thursday 17th and Friday the 18th. According to Reuters, in the draft document that will be read during the summit, the Council will reiterate its support for the Georgian people to join the European family but state that the path the current government has taken halts any further progress. The document specifically mentions that the adoption of the Russian and anti-LGBT laws are causes of major concern.

This is especially relevant since the statement will be made just one week before the parliamentary elections in Georgia. Opposition parties will capitalize on it to further mobilize pro-European voters on the election day.

Speaking of the elections, from the 29th of September to the 8th of October, London-based market research consultancy Savanta conducted a party rating survey for the opposition channel, Mtavari.

The survey included 1,500 respondents and Results show that 36% would vote for the Georgian Dream or Otsneba; 18% would support the Coalition for Change Tsvlilebebistvis - Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa or Tsvlilebebistvis; 14% would vote for the United National Movement or Natsebi; 10% would choose Gakharia – For Georgia or Sakartvelostvis; and 8% would back the Strong Georgia Coalition or Dzlieri, which includes Lelo.

Unlike Edison Research, which conducts polls for Formula, this survey identifies Tsvililebebistvis, not Natsebi, as the largest opposition party. The only other company conducting election polls is Gorbi, which is contracted by the main governmental channel, IMEDI. It has consistently shown Otsneba's rating at 60%.

Since we mentioned Otsneba, on Monday, the 14th, Kakhi Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the ruling party’s Secretary General, compared the EU to the Soviet Union.

He made this remark while responding to a statement by Anna Muller, the German Minister of European Affairs. She has said that while the EU supports the Georgian people, that support no longer extends to the current Georgian government.

Kaladze argued that the current administration reflects the will of the Georgian people and that the EU must respect the country's sovereignty rather than dictate its interests in a style reminiscent of the Soviet Union.

Just ten days before the elections, the State Security Service released a statement warning of a high likelihood that radical forces would distribute AI-generated and edited content to destabilize the country. This content is expected to target government officials and may include private videos or calls.

Two hours after the statement was issued, a recording of a call between Bidzina Ivanishvili’s wife, Ekaterine Khvedelidze, and a Russian online learning platform representative was leaked on YouTube. More intriguing than the content of the call is the allegation that someone is tapping Ivanishvili’s wife’s phone.

The State Security Service issues warnings about destabilization and attempts at revolution before each election. However, no one has ever been arrested on these charges. This time, they said taht their statement aimed to warn the suspects against acting out on their plans.

Next up, on Saturday, the 12th, The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information or IDFI shared that 114,000 Russians went to Georgia between twenty twenty-two and twenty twenty-three after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with 74,000 choosing to reside there. During the same period, 264,000 Georgians left the country, while 146,000 returned, leading to a decrease of 118,000 people.

Over the past decade, 815,000 Georgians emigrated, but just 265,000 returned, leading to a loss of over half a million residents. According to twenty twenty data from the United Nations, 861,000 Georgians live abroad, but this figure likely underestimates the reality due to illegal migration. The IDFI warns that if current trends continue, the number of Georgians living outside the country could reach a million by the end of the year. In twenty twenty-three, 70% of immigrants were under thirty, and 43% were under fifteen.

Unexpectedly, one of the biggest politics-related news last week was from the creative industry. On Thursday, the 10th, Nika Bochorishvili, founder of the well-known advertising agency JWT Metro, shared a new political advertisement for Otsneba on his Facebook page, saying that he created it with a team of freelancers.

Within hours, more than a dozen employees announced their resignations, with some doing so in the comments of the original post. They didn’t know that their boss was working for the government, and since their company made a promise that they would not work with the executive, after the Russian Law protest, they felt betrayed and resigned. After the demonstrations, several marketing agencies declared that they wouldn’t work with Otsneba. All resigning employees stated they had no knowledge of the ad's creation.

Given the company’s size, this situation likely means that JWT Metro could shut down.

On Friday, the 11th, a peculiar interaction unfolded between Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of Dzlieri Lelo, and a journalist from the government-affiliated media outlet Post-TV. The journalist accused Khazaradze of hiding his Armenian ethnicity. Confused by the statement, Khazaradze laughed and asked the journalist to provide evidence. Later, he issued a public statement, apologizing to Armenians on behalf of his opponents, labeling them as xenophobic.

The Armenophobic rhetoric has a long history in Georgian politics, often rooted in national stereotypes and extreme nationalism. Opponents of former president Misha Saakashvili frequently used this rhetoric against him.

On another note, on Monday, the 14th, Russia put Georgian citizen Alexander Inasaridze on the wanted list. According to state media, he is accused of organizing the explosion that took place on the Crimean Bridge in twenty twenty-two. The video of the attack widely circulated at the time. The explosive was placed in a truck that was crossing the bridge, which directly connects the peninsula to Russia and is crucial for logistical purposes. Inasaridze’s current whereabouts are unknown, but he might be in Ukraine.

While on the topic of the relationship between Russia and Georgia, on Thursday, the 10th, Vladimir Putin signed a law expanding the visa-free regime for Georgians. The new document removes the ninety-day stay restriction for all categories of visitors. This action, along with Putin appointing the Head of Georgian Diaspora Affairs two weeks ago, shows Russia’s interest in presenting itself as an alternative to Europe.

A TikTok influencer from Russia, who drew his country's flag on the Kartlis Deda Monument in Tbilisi, has fled the country. He initially shared a video in which he painted the Russian flag over graffiti that said "Fuck Russia." He then made threats against those who disliked his homeland.

The video went viral on social media, sparking an overwhelmingly negative reaction from the locals. Shortly after, the video's creator posted in his story that he had fled the country.

In sports news: It was a tough week for Georgia’s national football team, which played two matches in the Nations League—one against Ukraine and the other against Albania. Even though Georgia was a favourite in both matches, the team suffered disappointing losses, falling short by a narrow 1-0 margin in each game.

In the match against Ukraine, a giant banner displayed by Georgian and Ukrainian fans read “Power in Unity” in both languages, highlighting the friendly relationship between the nations despite the chilly relations between their governments.

Closing this edition with fashion news. This week, discussions on Georgian Facebook focused on one name: Mathilda Gvarliani. The Georgian model, already well-established in the industry and recognized as one of the faces of Chanel's fragrance line, has now skyrocketed into the mainstream. Her recent achievement as the first Georgian model selected for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show has captured widespread attention.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Nakhvamdis!