Georgia Elections 2024 Guide - Episode 1

Foreign Influence Law - Constitutional Court - Electoral System - Parties/Coalitions

Welcome to the first episode of our new series on the 2024 Georgian elections!

We decided to create this series to offer English-speaking audiences a comprehensive and alternative perspective on the political landscape in Georgia. With the upcoming elections being crucial for the country's future, it's more important than ever to understand the key players, issues, and dynamics that will shape the outcome.

This election will be both divisive and decisive. The stakes are incredibly high, with the outcome likely to shape Georgia's future direction on key issues, from foreign policy to domestic governance. As the political landscape becomes increasingly polarized, understanding the underlying dynamics and the perspectives of different parties is more important than ever.

Today's episode will provide an introduction to Georgia's electoral system and political parties, setting the stage for the deeper discussions we'll have in the weeks to come. We'll also dive into the latest developments, including the ongoing debate in the Constitutional Court over whether the controversial foreign influence law is unconstitutional. Additionally, we'll discuss the recent scandal involving one of the leading NGOs opposing the government, Shame Movement, which initially planned to register under the law's directory but backtracked after a public outcry.

If you're new here and don't know much about Georgia, the country has been rocked by the biggest protests in its history over the controversial "Transparency on Foreign Influence" law, pejoratively called the "Russian law," which we'll discuss in more detail today. After 30 years of pro-Western neoliberal governments, opposition activists and politicians have increasingly framed the Georgian government as pro-Russian, particularly since 2019. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has only intensified this framing, reducing much of Georgian politics to a binary of Russian versus pro-Western, overshadowing other critical issues.

Stay tuned as we break down these complex topics and offer insights into what they mean for Georgia's political future.

Hosts are: Sopo Japaridze, Revaz Karanadze, Giorgi Meskhi, Bryan Gigantino