Georgia chooses between the West and Russia in imminent election

Georgia is in turmoil as the country goes to the polls to decide between a fourth term of the far-right Georgian Dream party or a coalition of four progressive opposition parties, keen to fulfil the democratic conditions to join the EU.

Speaking from behind protective glass ahead of the election, multi-billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who bankrolls Georgian Dream, told thousands of supporters in Tbilisi’s Liberty Square “We choose peace, not war,” the BBC reports.

An oligarch who made his money in Russia, Ivanishvili is considered the most powerful man in Georgia, a country bordered by Russia, Turkey and Armenia, but he is not an elected politician.

His slogan was a reference to the opposition’s wish to support Ukraine against the Russian invasion and Georgian Dream’s determination to stay clear of the conflict.

The government’s rally was in response to the opposition protest in Liberty Square days earlier when tens of thousands turned out with banners that read “Georgia chooses the European Union.”

The government has sought to join the EU but has had its petition frozen due to its increasingly authoritarian stance and two repressive laws.

The first law to scupper Georgia’s chances was the foreign influence law, passed in May which requires organizations with more than 20% funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence.”

This smacks of Russian legislation that has been used to crack down on protest and suggests a further shift towards Putin’s Russia.

Early October, an anti-LGBTQ+ law was pushed through Parliament, banning Pride events, LGBTQ+ flags and introducing censorship on films and books.

The bid to join the EU is supported by 80% of the population, according to a number of opinion polls, which also predict a close race on October 26.

Georgian ex-ambassador to the EU Natalie Sabadnadze has said that Georgian Dream appears to be looking to mirror Hungary’s Viktor Orban-style of government, while painting themselves as the party of peace.

"Georgian Dream wants an absolute majority to dismantle the system and do it legally – like Hungary. But they shouldn't get one,” she tells the BBC.

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