GEORGIA: The Opposition’s Mayoral Candidate & more – 21st Aug 2025

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

On Monday, the 18th, two major opposition parties, the Strong Georgia Coalition (or Dzlieri - Lelo) and Gogi Gakharia’s For Georgia or Sakartvelostvis announced their joint candidates for the Tbilisi mayoral election set for the 4th of October.

Irakli Kupradze, Dzlieri - Lelo’s secretary general and former leftist activist, will challenge Kakha Kaladze, the candidate of the Georgian Dream or the Kotsebi, who is seeking re-election for a third term. Kupradze named Gogi Sharashidze from Sakartvelostvis as his choice for city council chair. He also picked Aleko Elisashvili from Dzlieri - Lelo and Tata Khvedeliani from Sakartvelostvis as deputy mayors. The parties say uniting gives voters a stronger alternative to the Kotsebi and offers a clearer path toward a pro-European future for the capital.

Speaking of the municipal elections, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Parliamentary majority leader, said the government hasn’t decided yet whether to invite major election‑monitoring organizations. This includes the OSCE/ODIHR, which have monitored all major elections in Georgia, including last year’s parliamentary vote, where observers flagged voter intimidation, pressure on public officials, vote‑buying, and weak legal remedies for complaints.

Mdinaradze said inviting observers does not feel urgent and emphasized that the government does not treat the issue as critical. He explained they could invite the mission or skip it, and both options remain open.

On Monday, the 18th, Russia’s state security service, or FSB, said it foiled a plan to explode the Crimean Bridge. Russian authorities say explosives were hidden in a Chevrolet Volt that entered Russia from Georgia. The car was supposed to be shipped to Russia’s Krasnodar region, then given to a new driver who allegedly had no idea it carried bombs. The FSB said it neutralized the device and arrested everyone involved.

Neither Ukraine nor Georgia has responded. Russia made a similar statement in twenty twenty-two after a truck blew up on the same bridge, which connects Russia to occupied Crimea. Back then, several Russians, Ukrainians, and a Georgian citizen were accused.

Ukraine sees the bridge as an illegal construction and a legitimate target in the war.

Next up, on Saturday, the 16th, Tornike Toshkhua and Mindia Shervashidze, two pro-European activists, were arrested on charges of group violence at Rustaveli avenue, Tbilisi, where protests have been held continuously since last November. Prosecutors say the pair attacked former footballer Beka Gotsiridze, who is an outspoken supporter of the Kotsebi.

The activists tell a different story. They say Gotsiridze showed up on Rustaveli to stir up the crowd, that he insulted and swore at protesters, and was trying to provoke a reaction. People at the scene say he had a knife in his pocket, which the two detainees managed to wrestle off him. Their lawyer says the case rests only on Gotsiridze’s words and one short video from the Interior Ministry. Supporters of the activists say that the arrest was political and that the police arrested people who were trying to keep others safe from Gotsiridze.

In related news, on Thursday, the 15th, a court sentenced activist David Komheriki, who was arrested during last year's pro-European protests, to four years and six months in prison. Authorities said they found ingredients necessary for a Molotov cocktail in his backpack and that he was preparing an explosion. Komheriki said that those items did not belong to him.

Papuna Janelidze, the former Foreign Minister under the Kotsebi, commented on Komheriki’s sentencing, calling it a great injustice. He also took a jab at his former boss, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the party, saying that the justice system, which is built around the whims of a single person, would only lead to a type of state that Putin and his cronies dream of.

On Thursday, the 14th, Anastasia Zinovkina, a Russian activist detained during pro-European demonstrations in Georgia, said a police officer threatened her with rape during her arrest. She faces drug-related charges, which she denies, and her case is still ongoing. Irakli Mukhadgverdeli, the officer she named, played a central role in her detention.

Interestingly, Mukhadgverdeli faces criminal charges himself for firing his weapon from a car multiple times in May. It’s unknown who he was shooting at, but he was arrested and initially held in pretrial detention, but a court later replaced it with a 10,000 Lari bail, around 3,700 dollars. Following these incidents, Mukhadgverdeli was let go from the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Changing gears, on Friday, the 15th, six Georgian NGOs received a letter from the Anti-Corruption Bureau accusing them of violating the foreign agents law, also known as the Russian law, by not registering in the foreign agent’s database. The NGOs say the law does not apply to them because they operate independently, serve local communities, and do not act under the direction of any foreign government or entity, which should be a prerequisite for registration.

The day after, thirty-five civil society and media organizations issued a solidarity statement supporting the NGOs and emphasizing that targeting independent groups affects Georgia’s democratic foundations.

Authorities have not clarified what steps will follow.

In economic news, according to the National Center of Statistics, in the second quarter of twenty twenty-five, unemployment rose by 0.6 percent to 14.3 percent, up slightly from last year. Cities saw the highest rate with over sixteen percent unemployment, while rural areas stood at just over eleven percent. Men remain more affected than women.

At the same time, money flowing into the country from abroad grew. In July, remittances reached nearly 337 million dollars, a thirteen percent jump year-on-year. The biggest share came from the United States, followed by Italy and then Russia.

On Monday, the 18th, the Netherlands Embassy in Tbilisi announced it has temporarily suspended the Rule of Law Program in Georgia. The embassy said that the reason behind the decision was the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country, caused by actions taken by the Kotsebi authorities.

Over the years, nearly 200 Georgian officials and public servants have participated in the program's training, contributing to strengthening Georgia’s public institutions.

The embassy said that this decision was difficult but necessary, and expressed hope that, if the political situation improves, they will be able to welcome Georgian participants in the future.

In similar news, on Wednesday, the 20th, fifty-one members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or PACE signed a declaration saying that Georgian opposition leaders are in prison, activists and journalists face political prosecutions, and civil society is under constant pressure. They called on the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to consider expelling Georgia if nothing changes.

This comes after PACE passed resolutions earlier this year demanding new democratic elections and the release of political prisoners. Instead of meeting those conditions, the Kotsebi pulled out of the assembly, calling the demands unfair.

Also on Wednesday, the 20th, Levan Gachechiladze, a well-known businessman and former politician, passed away at the age of sixty-one. The cause of death has not been made public. He first entered parliament in nineteen ninety-nine, served several terms, and in two thousand eight ran for president against Misha Saakashvili. Known for dramatic moments, he once stormed the Central Election Commission, accusing the administration of rigging elections during the previous government.

He was a brother of Gia Gachechiladze, a singer turned TV host and an even more famous figure in Georgian politics. She was an opposition figurehead during the rule of the United National Movement or Natsebi and is now a mouthpiece for promoting the Kotsebi’s conservative views.

Tbilisi is finally getting its first modern tram line. At least that’s what Mayor Kakha Kaladze promised on Wednesday, the 20th, amidst his campaign for re-election for a third term. The project will connect Didi Dighomi, one of the city’s fastest-growing districts, with the Didube metro station. The tram line will stretch seven kilometers (about four miles) and include eleven stops. The City Hall has already launched a tender for construction. However, talks about building a tram line have been ongoing for years, so it remains to be seen if anything will come out of this.

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

Soon we are going to release a very cool episode that Georgian speakers will probably know lots about, but we invite everyone to listen to it and enjoy! Stay tuned!

Nakhvamdis!