After the parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024, the ruling party ‘Georgian Dream’ declared officially won around 54% and declared itself the winner. However, countless reports of vote rigging and fraud as well as voter intimidation and bribery in the run-up to the election cast considerable doubt on the legitimacy of the new government. Thanks to a complex network of social and economic dependencies and corrupt structures, the government was able to put the population under increased pressure in the run-up to the elections, particularly in rural regions. By beginning of December, neither the opposition nor a large part of the international community have recognised the election results. MPs from most of the opposition parties have refused to take up their seats or resume parliamentary work under the current government.
The Georgian opposition and civil society are calling for more support from the EU. However, clear measures such as sanctions seem unlikely due to the unanimity requirement in the Council. The government's announcement of its intention to suspend the EU integration process until 2028 also reduces the EU’s leverage considerably. Against this backdrop, it will be all the more important in the coming years to support Georgian civil society financially and structurally and to invest in political education, particularly for the younger generations.
The exchange trip entitled ‘Quo Vadis, Georgia?’ for German civil society representatives was carried out as part of the ‘GEO4EU’ project together with the Georgian Institute of Politics as a partner organisation. Numerous meetings were held in the capital Tbilisi, but also in rural regions, with representatives of Georgian civil society. The Exchange Lab also provided a platform for comprehensive dialogue: the event took place under Chatham House rules and served as a platform for German and Georgian experts to discuss current domestic and foreign policy developments in Georgia.
Photo Credits Exchange Lab: Zaza Nikolozishvili