Georgia Update – Elections & more– 4th May 2023

th of May: 2023

We start with elections. On Thursday, the 29th, Georgia held the midterm/extraordinary elections in ten municipalities. In five of them, citizens voted for city councils and deputies in Gurjaani, Tianeti, Akhaltsikhe, Tkibuli, and Kutaisi. Also, in Tsageri and Terjola, citizens elected mayors; in three municipalities, Poti, Senaki, and Khobi, citizens voted for a Member of Parliament. According to the preliminary results of the Central Election Commission of Georgia, the Georgian Dream or Otsneba candidates have unsurprisingly won the seats in all ten municipalities, as the opposition candidate participated only in the MP elections of the Poti, Senaki, and Khobi municipalities. What's worth noting is that these elections primarily used electronic votes, which is a preparation for the 2024 Parliamentary Elections. Natia Ioseliani, the Central Election Commission's Spokesperson, said that citizens voted electronically at 117 polling stations. Finally, according to a preliminary assessment of fifty-five monitors from twelve countries and international organizations and embassies, the elections largely adhered to international standards.

We continue with some protests and rallies in Tbilisi. On Sunday, the 30th, the Ultra-Conservative Movement held a rally called "Here is Utsnobi" at Republic Square, under the leadership of a well-known singer Gia Gachechiladze or Utsnobi,. Gachechiladze announced the rally during the "Ucnobis Kidobani" TV show on the "Maestro" TV channel, known for its pro-government and anti-western rhetoric, in response to the March demonstrations against the foreign agent's law initiated by Otsneba. The rally demanded to hold the United National Movement or Natsebi accountable, criticized international partners for interfering in Georgia's affairs, and called for the neutrality of Georgia, which effectively means the country's derailment from the Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The opposition criticized the messages of the Ultra-Conservative rally because of their anti-Western and pro-Russian intentions. Despite some Otsneba members defending the rally for its patriotic goals, some disagreed. Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of the leaders of Otsneba, said he disagrees with Georgia's neutrality as he sees Georgia as a full member of the EU.

On Monday, the 1st, parents of children diagnosed with Achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that results in dwarfism, once again demanded a meeting with the Minister of Health and Prime Minister to resolve the issue of import and distribution of Vosoritide. The Deputy Health Minister called on parents to halt rallies and "return to constructive dialogue." However, on Tuesday the 2nd, representatives of the Health Ministry held a meeting with the parents. They agreed that together they would work in a Coordinating Council for the rare disease and find a solution that benefits all sides.

Also, on Monday the 1st, a group of people protested in front of the Tbilisi City Court in support of Lazare Grigoriadis, who protested in the 7-9 March rallies, detained for assaulting police officers and destroying state property. However, the Tbilisi City Court judge denied the 20,000 Lari bail, around 8,000 US dollars, offered by lawyers and ruled that Grigoriadis would remain in custody.

Speaking of arrests, on Monday the 1st, the counterintelligence department of the State Security Service of Georgia arrested a person for attempting to sell radioactive materials illegally. According to the report, the detainee wanted to sell radioactive material in Poti in exchange for 2,000,000 US dollars. Later, the results of the radiological examination of the material seized confirmed that it contained uranium. Under Article 230 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which covers the illegal handling of radioactive substances, the detainee faces a prison sentence of five to ten years.

ian Federation related to the: 2008

Last week Georgia hosted high-ranking European officials. On Thursday, the 27th, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau visited Tbilisi. He met his Georgian counterpart, Ilia Darchiashvili, President Salome Zurabishvili, and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Officials discussed Georgia's EU integration path and bilateral relations, including Poland's unwavering support of Georgia's EU membership. Rau also mentioned the situation of Misha and said Poland would contribute to a constructive solution.

On Sunday, the 28th, Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, arrived in Georgia and held meetings with Georgia's senior officials. Collona stressed that "Georgia's European dream must become a reality." Officials also discussed Georgia's important role in the security of the Black Sea region.

ltinational exercise Defender: 2023

On Wednesday, the 3rd, the National Democratic Institute, NDI, published its public opinion survey showing the Georgian public's views on politics, economy, social issues, Euro-Atlantic integration, and so on. The first thing to note is that twenty percent of the respondents would support Otsneba if the parliamentary elections were held tomorrow, five percent would support The United National Movement, and six percent of the surveyed would vote for other parties. However, thirty-four percent of the people surveyed said that they would not vote for any party. Moreover, most Georgians, thirty-five percent, believe the country is going in the wrong direction. Traditionally, the absolute majority of Georgians, eighty-two percent, approve of Georgia's aspirations to become a member of the European Union. Also, seventy-three percent of Georgia's population supports Georgia's membership in NATO.

Also, on Wednesday the 3rd, inspired by the Ultra-Conservative Movement rally held on Sunday, which among many demands, urged for the adoption of a law against "LGBT propaganda," Fridon Injia, MP from the European Socialists, said that he would draft a bill that will limit LGBT propaganda that "destroys Georgia, the Georgian family, and the state." However, Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of the Otsneba leaders, said that the Government would not support such a law as "it may add more water to the radicals' mill." Members of the opposition described this move as yet another anti-Western policy, like the draft for the so-called foreign agents' law, which prevents Georgia from membership in the European Union.

Speaking of propaganda... On Wednesday the 3rd, Meta, Facebook's parent company, suspended eighty Facebook accounts, twenty-six pages, nine groups, and two Instagram accounts. The report states that the network worked non-stop to boost content that favored Otsneba. This included reposting content from official government pages and pro-government media reports. Additionally, they shared negative opinions about the opposition, especially during the recent public protests related to the "foreign agents" law proposal in Georgia, which has since been removed.

We end this week's show on a musical note. TBC Concept and Eastern Promotion will host the 26th Jazz Festival in Tbilisi Sheraton Metekhi Palace Hotel. Jazz lovers will have an opportunity to enjoy listening to prominent Jazz bands from different countries for three days, starting from Tuesday the 9th to Thursday the 11th. You can get tickets to the event on TKT.GE

Aaaand that's it for this week! Remember We have a Mastodon account! Check out our instance rorshok.social. If you don't know what Mastodon is or want to know more about it, check out the link in the show notes to our Substack

Nakhvamdis!