Political Crisis Deepens in Georgia Amid Growing Protests

Giorgi Beroshvili

The protests in Georgia have entered their fifth day, and the scale of unrest is growing. More than 220 people have been detained, with activists reporting severe police violence. Videos of brutality have surfaced, and key ambassadors are resigning, showing possible cracks within the government. Students across the country, from Tbilisi to Batumi and Rustavi, have taken to the streets, boycotting classes. This could mark a tipping point, with either the protesters’ momentum forcing change or mass arrests suppressing dissent. However, the Georgian Dream may be compelled to make tangible concessions, like ensuring free and fair elections. It’s unclear whether this will actually occur.

President Salome Zourabichvili has formed a permanent council with opposition parties to coordinate with Western allies. She has also praised spontaneous protests for successfully countering the government’s powerful security apparatus on the streets. Meanwhile, hundreds of state employees have publicly condemned the government’s response. For instance, demonstrations have erupted at Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi, where demonstrators are backing over 250 ministry employees who have denounced the government’s suspension of the EU membership process amid the Prime Minister’s visit.

It’s worth noting that Zourabichvili is also challenging the October 26 election results in the Constitutional Court, citing violations of voting rights. A favorable court ruling could pave the way for new elections, but it’s unclear whether the Georgian Dream, which controls the court, will back down. A free and fair snap election is the main demand of the opposition parties alongside Zourabichvili. With her term nearing its end, efforts to forcibly remove her from office could spark another wave of protests. Zourabichvili asserts that the current parliament, which she deems illegitimate, cannot elect her successor, meaning her term continues until new elections are held.

Georgia now faces two possible futures. The first is a Belarus-style autocracy, with a brutal crackdown on dissent and a full pivot towards Russia, abandoning its European integration goals. This would lead to economic stagnation, international isolation, and suffering for the Georgian people. The second is a pro-democratic shift, where new elections could reverse the current government’s autocratic policies. If the opposition, possibly led by Zourabichvili, gains control, Georgia could re-establish its pro-European stance, repairing ties with the EU and the US—just as the latter suspended its strategic partnership in response to the Georgian Dream’s actions.

Renata Skardžiūtė-Kereselidze

While the world observes hundreds of thousands of Georgians taking to the streets, it is not just another protest, but rather a nationwide movement for democracy and Georgia’s European future. Thursday, November 28, will be remembered as the turning point in the rule of the Georgian Dream party. People took to the streets, filled with indignation after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the pausing of negotiations for EU accession. The outcome of these protests will define Georgia’s internal development and foreign policy direction for years to come. At the same time, escalation in Georgia is also testing the commitment of Western partners to support democracy, freedom, and human rights.

Stopping EU Accession: A Red Line

The events of November 28 escalated quickly: in the morning, the EU Parliament released a statement on Georgia. That same evening, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced its decision to abort efforts to start accession negotiations with the EU “until 2028.” Within an hour, outraged citizens gathered in front of the Parliament building, carrying posters and EU flags. The broad dissatisfaction with the Georgian Dream’s political decisions, which have derailed Georgia from its European track, has been prevalent for the last several years. However, proactively stopping the EU accession process is a red line for Georgia’s strongly pro-European society and will test the strength of the Georgian Dream government.

Within a couple of days, the protest grew into a mass action involving hundreds of thousands and lasting through the nights into early mornings. The ruling party was quick to react, and police violently dispersed the crowds with water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray, and mass arrests, causing a public outcry and even larger demonstrations.

The extraordinary events on the streets of Tbilisi and at least 14 other cities are much more than another symbolic action by Georgian youth. The actions of the Georgian Dream – grave violations of electoral processes, nominating an underqualified albeit loyal candidate for the presidency, and finally canceling negotiations with the EU – angered even those who voted for the Georgian Dream.

Constitutional Crisis and the President’s Leadership

The new wave of mass protests marks both a clash over the country’s European future and a deepening constitutional crisis in Georgia. A month ago, the Georgian Dream claimed victory in highly contested parliamentary elections, despite numerous complaints from local and international observers and accusations of large-scale violations that decisively altered the election results. The elections were largely criticized by the international community, including the European Parliament, and are contested by the President and opposition – which, in turn, puts the legitimacy of key Georgian institutions and their decisions into question.

President Salome Zourabichvili is taking leadership in this process, having made two important decisions: first, she did not recognize the election results and appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul them on the grounds of violations of ballot secrecy in the new voting procedure. The first session of Parliament should have been called by the President only after being cleared by the Constitutional Court. However, the Georgian Dream decided to move forward and swore in a new Parliament in a power move that further questions the legitimacy of their rule.

As the clash between the ruling party and the protesters on the streets escalated, President Zourabichvili announced her refusal to step down when her term ends mid-December, “since an illegitimate parliament cannot elect the new president.” Considering that the President is both the most trusted and currently the only independent institution in the country, Zourabichvili is using her convening power to try to stabilize the political process. She proposed to convene a political council consisting of political parties and civil society representatives, which would act as a transitional government until new elections can be organized. Implementing this plan is a key political demand of the GD government. While GD leadership refuses to entertain the idea, the crisis is likely to escalate by December 14, when a new president is due to be elected.

The Role of the West

In the ongoing struggle to establish legitimacy over governing power in Georgia, Western partners have an important role. Even with its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, the Georgian Dream still looks to the West for validation. The vagueness of OSCE/ODIHR’s post-election preliminary report and meetings with European leaders have been utilized to persuade Georgians that the government acts within the framework of international standards and stays on course toward the coveted EU membership – albeit “on their own terms.”

Western partners have largely agreed on pressuring the Georgian Dream to ease human rights violations, including the laws on “Agents of Foreign Influence” and “Family Values,” and conditioning financial support on free and fair parliamentary elections. The European Parliament slammed the Georgian Dream for alleged electoral fraud and authoritarian shifts, proposing targeted sanctions, and the US suspended its strategic partnership in reaction to the violent dispersal of protests. However, more can be done to utilize the leverage of Western partners, stabilize the situation in Georgia, and restore democracy.

The pro-EU activists are waiting for quick and decisive actions in support of their cause. The Baltic States’ decision to impose targeted no-entry sanctions on 11 officials responsible for violence against peaceful protesters sets an example of such action, which did not go unnoticed in Tbilisi. More international presence would help reassure those struggling to restore democracy and increase safety conditions for peaceful protests. The EU and US largely hold the question of the legitimacy of both the Georgian government and the President, especially as the constitutional crisis escalates.

If the ruling Georgian Dream party remains in power, the growing authoritarian tendencies of its leadership threaten to derail the nation’s democratic progress and its aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration. The party’s pre-election campaign featured a call to ban opposition parties and attacks on independent media and civil society. Observing post-election developments, following through on these promises seems ever more possible. To prevent this scenario, the West should keep Georgia high on the agenda.