GEORGIA: Presidential Elections & more – 19th Dec 2024

Gamarjobat from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Georgia Update from the 19th of December twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Georgia.

On Saturday, the 14th, Georgia's Electoral College, including members of parliament and regional councils, voted for the country's new president. Opposition parties boycotted the election, calling it illegitimate, leaving Mikheil Kavelashvili as the only candidate on the ballot. Kavelashvili, a former football player known for his anti-Western views, revealed in an interview with state TV channel IMEDI that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream or Kotsebi, offered him the presidency. Though surprised, Kavelashvili accepted the offer.

On the same day, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and Liberal International issued a joint statement, affirming Salome Zourabishvili as Georgia's legitimate president. They criticized Kavelashvili's election, stating it didn't reflect the will of the people, as only one party participated in the process.

Also on Saturday, Amnesty International released a detailed report on the use of excessive force by the police during protests in Georgia after the 29th of November. The report states that peaceful demonstrations, where thousands of citizens attended, were met with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Many people were injured, and videos captured physical violence against peaceful protesters and journalists. Over 460 people have been detained, with many reporting torture and mistreatment.

The report highlights that police actions, including illegal force and torture, appear to be encouraged by government directives and impunity. The justice system has largely ignored torture cases, leading to fines and administrative imprisonment for over 160 people. Amnesty describes these actions as systemic repression and police terror.

Want to read the full report? Link in the show notes.

On Friday, the 13th, businessman Nika Gilauri, who is also the former Prime Minister under the United National Movement or Natsebi, announced the establishment of a fund to help the victims of the recent protests. It aims to aid citizens injured during the demonstrations, journalists who were attacked, and workers who went on strike or left their jobs in protest.

Gilauri emphasized that the fund will operate transparently, with regular reports posted on the Prosperity Georgia website detailing how the funds will be used. Just three days after establishing the fund, it received 330,000 lari or almost 120,000 dollars, from over 200 people and businesses.

On Thursday, the 12th, eighty journalists and senior editors from the International Press Institute and independent media networks in Central and Eastern Europe expressed solidarity with Georgian media amid ongoing protests. The statement supports Georgian journalists who continue to provide crucial information despite an increasingly hostile environment. The joint declaration highlights the worsening situation for press freedom and democratic freedoms in Georgia, with the situation becoming more dangerous, as legal and institutional tools are used to target and restrict critical voices.

Next up, according to market research services provider IPM, sixty-five percent of the population supports ongoing protests in the country. Sixty-one percent believe the elections were rigged and fifty percent think the policies of the Kotsebi party are pro-Russian.

IPM conducted a phone survey nationwide between the 3rd and the 12th of December, interviewing 1,600 citizens aged eighteen and older. The study shows that support for protests is especially strong among young people, with seventy-six percent of those aged eighteen to thrity-four backing the protests.

On Wednesday, the 18th, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili spoke at the European Parliament. She addressed the political situation in Georgia, and the ongoing protests. She described the protests as peaceful civil disobedience demanding fair elections and a European future. She emphasized that the protests are not revolutionary but a demand for free and fair elections.

She rejected allegations saying that Georgia is divided, stating that the real division is between the people and the ruling party's repressive apparatus. Zourabichvili called for more decisive European action to support Georgia's European aspirations..

On another note, on Sunday, the 15th, Alexei Lobarev, the head of Russia's law enforcement trade union association, stated on social media that he visited Georgia to observe the situation during the anti-government protests. He shared photos and videos of his visit, noting that most Georgians have negative opinions about the protests. He praised the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs for handling the extreme situation with dignity, despite 150 police officers being injured. Lobarev also highlighted that despite the protests, daily life in Tbilisi continued as usual, and Russian-speaking Georgians were more receptive than in the past.

The nature of his invitation remains unclear, as it is unknown whether it was from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or a trade union.

In other news, everyone can request the position of a business on the current political situation through the website Freebusiness.ge, which was launched on Saturday the 14th. The statement on the website says that the current political unrest has exceeded the boundaries of party politics and is placing the country in front of inevitable social and economic dangers.

According to the statement, for the immediate de-escalation of the situation, the most pragmatic way is to release everyone detained during three weeks of protests by New year and call for new elections. So fa,r over 1,000 businesses have shown their support for the statement, among them are giants McDonald’s Georgia, Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia and the Georgian telecommunication company Magticom.

Check out the website with the link in the show notes!

On Monday, the 16th, at a City Hall briefing, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze accused radical opposition groups of trying to disrupt the festive atmosphere in the capital. He announced that the Christmas tree lighting ceremony would take place without a formal event, unlike previous years, due to security concerns.

The Christmas tree lighting ceremony was initially scheduled for Saturday the 14th. Despite Kaladze’s call for people to show up with their families, only a few of his supporters turned out and none of them looked very festive. They were soon outnumbered by the pro-European demonstrators who had been gathering in front of parliament, where the Christmas tree is, for three weeks. The ceremony was postponed and canceled altogether.

On Friday, the 13th, The European Film Academy called for the immediate release of actor Andro Chichinadze, who was arrested on the 5th of December following his participation in a public protest. The Academy views his detention as part of a broader effort by the Georgian government to suppress peaceful protests and intimidate the public. The Academy expressed concern over the freedom of expression and the safety of artists in Georgia. It urges global cultural institutions to advocate for Chichinadze’s release. He faces up to nine years in prison for charges related to organizing and participating in violent events.

On Wednesday, the 19th, Alain Berset, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, who is currently visiting Georgia, met with Bidzina Ivanishvili. The Kotsebi party confirmed information but the details of the meeting have not been shared. It seems like despite Ivanishvili’s reluctance to remain in the limelight, leaders of European countries and institutions prefer to talk with him directly, as shown last week, when President Macron called him personally to discuss the ongoing events in Georgia.

Earlier, Berset met with civil society representatives, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, and the Public Defender, Levan Ioselian. Berset is scheduled to hold meetings with the opposition and civil society representatives before leaving the country.

And to close this edition, for over twenty years, the “Saba” awards have celebrated Georgia’s best books and authors. However, due to political unrest, this year’s ceremony was canceled. Organizers expressed hope that future awards will be held in a free, democratic Georgia and showed support for those injured or detained during protests. Instead of the usual ceremony, the funds were redirected to cash prizes for all finalists.

This year’s winners include Beso Solomanashvili’s Lumpen Milenium and Davit Kartvelishvili’s Megapolis and Individuals for best novel, Aine Merme for Euara as best debut, and Besik Kharagauli’s This is Georgia for best poetry collection.

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

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Nakhvamdis!