GEORGIA: Kirtadze Throws Paint at Kalandarishvili & more – 21st Nov 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 21st of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Saturday, the 16th, an altercation in the Election Administration building created one of the most viral images of Georgia’s political life. The election committee was gathered for the final session to formalize the results of the parliamentary elections, which is the last legal step required to give the election results official status.

Despite protests, fraud allegations, and calls for investigation from Georgia’s Western partners, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the chairman of the Election Administration, decided to continue with the procedure. Just before he was about to sign the papers, a verbal altercation erupted between him and Davit Kirtadze, a member of the United National Movement or Natsebi. Kirtadze approached the chairman and poured a coffee cup full of black paint on him.

This was all recorded and the video went viral. Check it out with the link in the show notes!

On the same day, the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, congratulated the Georgian Dream or Otsneba on winning the parliamentary election with a sizable majority.

In his written statement, Ilia II expressed hope that, despite opposition parties protesting the results, all parties involved will use the coming years to advance the country.

This is good news for Otsneba, whose legitimacy is on shaky ground. No leader of Western democracies, except for Viktor Orbán, Hungary's president, has congratulated them on their victory due to alleged election fraud.

On the other hand, the Georgian Orthodox Church is the most trusted institution in the country, and the majority of the population are its followers. Their support may bolster Otsneba's legitimacy, at least within the country.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the 19th, police and special forces used force to disperse protesters who had spent the previous two nights outside Tbilisi’s State University. The demonstration began on Sunday the 17th, when participants, protesting alleged election fraud, decided to set up tents near the historic building and block Chavchavadze Avenue. This is an elite, affluent area, home to many Georgian politicians, including Kakhi Kaladze, Tbilisi’s mayor.

On the third day of the protests, the police surrounded the demonstrators, destroyed the makeshift barricades made from chairs and trash cans, and forced the protesters to flee the area. Around sixteen people were detained. The Public Defender’s office issued a statement, saying that disproportionate force was used on a dozen individuals. Despite the setback, the demonstrators regrouped in the evening to spend the night in the streets, continuing their protest.

After the crowd dispersed, a video surfaced on social media showing how the riot police were preparing for action at Tbilisi State University. The video suggested that the police had used the historic building as a base to gather, organize, and then launch an offensive against peaceful protesters. The large area and the fact that it was outside working hours allowed the police to carry out these actions without alerting the protesters.

This sparked massive outrage among the students and lecturers of the country's oldest university. They were furious that an educational institution had been used to suppress protests. Some students demanded that Jaba Samushia, the Chancellor of the university, step down for allowing this to happen. He didn’t comment publicly but offered to meet with students privately. The students refused, insisting that any discussion on the matter should be public.

On another note, on Sunday, the 17th, students from thirteen different universities signed a manifesto denouncing the legitimacy of the parliamentary elections. According to the document, the students support further European integration and repealing laws that create obstacles to that goal. They called on all students to join them in peaceful protests and work toward creating a fairer and more just system.

In other news, during a meeting in Brussels on Monday, the 18th, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, proposed freezing the 100 million euros of financial aid intended for Georgia's government and redirecting it to support Georgia’s civil society, which is fighting for fair elections.

Borrell also announced that the EU would send a special mission to Georgia to investigate and analyze the allegations of election fraud. He reiterated that the EU's door remains open to the Georgian people, but actions by the government, such as the lack of respect for the rule of law, basic human rights principles, and questions about the legitimacy of the elections, prevent the country’s further integration into the union.

Next up, on Tuesday, the 19th, Aslan Bjania, Abkhazia’s de facto President, reached an agreement with the opposition of the breakaway region of Georgia.

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Under the terms of the agreement, opposition supporters would vacate government buildings they had occupied for several days. They had been protesting the government’s plan to ratify an investment law that would grant foreign citizens, primarily Russians, the right to buy property in Abkhazia.

In return, President Bjania and Prime Minister Alexander Anqvab would step down. The agreement was fulfilled, and the plans to ratify the law were canceled.

Speaking of Russia, on Sunday, the 17th, their state media reported that the country issued an international search warrant for Davit Kezerashvili, Georgia's former Defense Secretary. He occupied the position during the Georgian-Russian war in two thousand eight and later founded the opposition channel Formula. Russian authorities want him on two charges: large-scale fraud and war crimes committed during the conflict.

Kezerashvili responded on social media, saying that Otsneba has tried to discredit and neutralize him for the past twelve years and now it seems they have asked for help from their big brother.

Kezerashvili also faces charges in Georgia for embezzling state funds during his time as Defense Minister. In twenty twenty-three, he became the target of a BBC investigation, which uncovered his involvement in a massive International scam perpetrated by fake call centers.

In an interview with Voice of America on Tuesday, the 19th, Marko Mihkelson, the Chairman of Estonia's Foreign Affairs Committee, said that democracy in Georgia is finished and that the country will become a fully autocratic state. According to him, the last independent institution in the country is the President’s Administration.

President Zourabishvili has only one month left in her term. After that, according to changes made in the Constitution several years ago, the President will no longer be elected by citizens but appointed by the government.

According to Bloomberg's list of the top 500 billionaires, Bidzina Ivanishvili's wealth has reached a record high. He is now the world's 401st richest person, with a net worth of $7.6 billion dollars. Recently, his fortune saw a significant increase. Five days after the U.S. election, his net worth jumped up by $230 million dollars.

In more lists, the English Proficiency Index, which publishes its data annually, ranked english language knowledge in Georgia 34th among 116 countries. Among the thirty-five European countries on the list, Georgia holds the 24th position. It is the best result in the region, leaving behind Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. Unsurprisingly, Tbilisi has the highest English proficiency, followed by Batumi.

On Friday the 16th, Georgian Andria Putkaradze won the 22nd Junior Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid, Spain. The eleven-year-old’s song “To My Mom” earned him 239 points. This marks the 4th win for Georgia, making the country the most successful in the history of the competition.

And to close this edition, on Sunday, the 17th, Gaga Chkaidze, the founder of the Tbilisi International Film Festival, announced that the twenty-fifth festival will take place from the 1st to the 8th of December. The event will feature thirty-five Georgian films, including shorts, documentaries, and feature-length films. On the final day, the best films will receive the Prometheus Award.

There are also going to be a wide variety of foreign movies, Q&A sessions with directors, and workshops. The event schedule will be available in the coming days.

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

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Nakhvamdis!