Georgian Dream

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Georgian Dream –
Democratic Georgia
ქართული ოცნება –
დემოკრატიული საქართველო
ChairmanIrakli Garibashvili
Secretary-GeneralKakha Kaladze
Honorary ChairmanBidzina Ivanishvili
Executive SecretaryMamuka Mdinaradze
Political SecretaryIrakli Kobakhidze
Regional SecretaryDimitri Samkharadze
Relations with Political Parties SecretaryGia Volski
FounderBidzina Ivanishvili
Founded21 April 2012; 12 years ago (2012-04-21)
Ideology
Political position
European affiliationParty of European Socialists (observer)
(till 2023)[5]
International affiliationProgressive Alliance
(till 2023)
Colours  
Sloganთავისუფლება, სწრაფი განვითარება, კეთილდღეობა ("Freedom, Rapid Development, Welfare")
Seats In Parliament
74 / 150
Municipal Councilors
1,359 / 2,068
Seats In Supreme Council of Adjara
14 / 21
Seats In Tbilisi City Assembly
29 / 50
Seats In Kutaisi City Assembly
18 / 35
Seats In Batumi City Assembly
17 / 35
Municipal Mayors
63 / 64
Website
gd.ge

Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (Georgian: ქართული ოცნება – დემოკრატიული საქართველო, romanized: kartuli otsneba – demok'rat'iuli sakartvelo) is a political party in Georgia. The party was established on 19 April 2012 by a politician, billionaire businessman, and oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.[6] It has been the ruling party in Georgia since 2012, when it won the general election, leading a coalition of six parties.

Subsequently, Georgian Dream also won the general elections of 2016 and 2020. Since 2024, the party has been led by Irakli Garibashvili as its Chairman, and Bidzina Ivanishvili as its Honorary Chairman. Former party chair Irakli Kobakhidze has been Prime Minister since February 2024.

From the onset, Georgian Dream declared itself a centre-left oriented party, with a touch of centre-right on economic policies, but over time the party transmuted into an explicitly culturally conservative right-wing party.[a] Georgian Dream is formally Pro-European, repeatedly stating to make Georgia a member of the European Union by 2030. However, legislation passed by the party has been widely described as incompatible with Euro-Atlantic integration and contradicting Georgia's EU membership application.

History[edit]

Political Context[edit]

By 2011 the ruling United National Movement (UNM) government led by president Mikheil Saakashvili, had become became increasingly unpopular for its neoliberal economic policy, extremely punitive criminal justice system and confrontational approach to Russia during its rule since 2004. The low degree of acquittal in criminal trials, mass surveillance, telephone tapping, intimidation, and pressure on businessmen added to the grievances.[7]

Events such as the violent dispersal of 2007 and 2011 demonstrations, the 2012 Gldani prison scandal involving revelations about systemic torture of inmates in Georgian prisons, the 2006 Sandro Girgvliani murder case and the loss of territories in the 2008 Russo-Georgian War contributed to the party's increasing loss of support among the general population. Given this context, Bidzina Ivanishvili, a businessman primarily known for charity and contributions to public projects, decided to step out of the shadow and lead the political opposition against Saakashvili by uniting the opposition, mobilizing popular support and subsequently capitalized on the public discontent.

Foundation[edit]

Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and since 2023 the Honorary Chairman of Georgian Dream

In December 2011, Ivanishvili launched Georgian Dream as a platform for his political activities and staged several mass demonstrations against the Saakashvili government. Four months later, on 21 April 2012, Georgian Dream was launched as a political party. Since Ivanishvili was not a Georgian citizen at the moment of the party's inaugural session, lawyer Manana Kobakhidze was elected as an interim, nominal chairman of "Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia", the full name of the party.

The party also included several notable Georgians such as former diplomat Tedo Japaridze, chess grandmaster Zurab Azmaiparashvili, writer Guram Odisharia and famed footballer Kakha Kaladze, which helped the party to consolidate support.[8] The name of the party was inspired by a rap song of Ivanishvili's son Bera.[9]

On 21 February 2012, Ivanishvili announced the formation of a coalition centered around his party, together with Republican Party of Georgia, Our Georgia – Free Democrats, and National Forum.[10] In subsequent months, two other opposition parties joined the coalition: the Conservative Party of Georgia and Industry Will Save Georgia.[11] Bidzina Ivanishvili became the leader of the united opposition movement.

Early years of government (2012-2019)[edit]

The six-party Georgian Dream coalition successfully challenged ruling United National Movement (UNM) in the 2012 parliamentary election, by pledging to increase welfare spending and to pursue a more pragmatic foreign policy with Russia.[8][12] It won 54.97% of the vote, while UNM received 40.34%, granting GD a majority of 85 seats in parliament. The remaining 65 seats went to UNM.[13] President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded that his party lost and pledged to support the constitutional process of forming a new government.[14] This was the first democratic transfer of power in Georgia. The election also marked the beginning of the transition from a presidential system to a parliamentary system of government.

On 25 October 2012, Bidzina Ivanishvili was elected as the prime minister of Georgia. He had requested Saakashvili to step down as president,[15] but the latter decided to complete his final term, which meant an uneasy political cohabitation throughout 2013. The new government introduced the State Universal Healthcare Program, making emergency surgeries and childbirth free of charge, and initiated reforms on self-governance and agriculture. In October 2013, Georgian Dream nominated candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili won the presidential election in a single round with 61.1% of the vote. Having looked over the transfer of power, Ivanishvili stepped down as prime minister, formally quitting the political arena, while running the government from behind the scenes.[16]

Ivanishvili was succeeded by Irakli Garibashvili, under whose tenure Georgia made major steps towards European Union integration. In June 2014 Georgia signed the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, both of which were initiated under the Saakashvili-led government. Meanwhile, cracks appeared within the Georgian Dream coalition. The Free Democrats left the coalition in November 2014 when Defence Minister Irakli Alasania of the Free Democrats was fired by Garibashvili.[17] Soon after becoming president, Margvelashvili's relations with the parliamentary wing of the party became strained as he was critical of what he saw as Georgian Dream's consolidation of power.[18] He was the first president in Georgia's history not to seek reelection for a second term.[19]

PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili with State Secretary John Kerry in Tbilisi

Prime Minister Garibashvili was succeeded in December 2015 by Giorgi Kvirikashvili, whose government focused on economic growth as well as strengthening relations with the West.[20] The European Commission recommended visa-free travel for the citizens of Georgia to the Schengen Area, with the European Council and the European Parliament giving the final approval in 2017.[21][22]

Despite the coalition falling apart, Kvirikashvili led Georgian Dream to a landslide victory in the 2016 Georgian parliamentary election, winning a constitutional majority of 115 seats out of 150. Utilizing their parliamentary power, Georgian Dream made grand amendments to the constitution, like the completion of the transition to a parliamentary republic and the abolition of the direct presidential election.[23]

Zourabichvili in 2019

In April 2018, Ivanishvili returned to politics when he was appointed the chair of the Georgian Dream party. His comeback was taken for granted as he had retained overwhelming sway over the party ever since his formal resignation in 2013.[24] Prime Minister Kvirikashvili suddenly resigned in June 2018, claiming "disagreements with the leader of the ruling party" as the reason for his resignation.[25] He was succeeded by a political newcomer Mamuka Bakhtadze.[26]

In August 2018, Chairman of the Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the party would not nominate a candidate for the 2018 presidential elections. Instead, it would endorse the independent candidate Salome Zourabichvili.[27] After a stronger than expected performance from the opposition in the first round, Bidzina Ivanishvili put together a scheme in which the debts of 600,000 Georgians would be written-off and covered by his charity, in an attempt to secure Zourabichvili’s victory. It was considered "an unprecedented case of vote-bribing".[28] The government supported scheme was enough to boost Georgian Dream's popularity and give Zourabichvili a victory in the second round.

Political Turmoil (2019-2021)[edit]

On 20 June 2019, the Georgian parliament hosted the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, an organization set up by the Greek parliament to unite Orthodox Christian lawmakers worldwide. With both Russia and Georgia being members of the organization, the Russian delegation arrived to take part in the session in the Georgian parliament. The session was opened with a speech of Sergei Gavrilov, a Russian lawmaker from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, while sitting in the chair of the Head of Parliament.

Opposition members said it was denigrating for Georgian sovereignty and completely unacceptable that Gavrilov presided over a session in Georgian parliament, as a representative of the occupying power with a history of casting anti-Georgia votes.[29] The opposition called for protests in front of the parliament building. Some representatives of Georgian Dream said the action of Gavrilov was a provocation and claimed the session should have been chaired by the Greek deputy Anastasios Nerantzis. Gavrilov however, insisted he was instructed by the protocol service of Georgian parliament.[30]

2019 protests

That same day, a large protest took place in front of Parliament, which was violently dispersed by the orders of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia. It became known as Gavrilov's Night. Georgian Dream leader Ivanishvili said the protest was legitimate, but the situation was exploited by the opposition parties to storm the parliament building, thus the police measures were necessary to prevent a coup.[31] The protests continued for months, demanding electoral reforms, snap elections and resignations from the ruling party. Despite some concessions from Georgian Dream, such as the resignation of the chairman of parliament and the partial electoral amendments, the protests did not stop. On 2 September 2019, Bakhtadze resigned from his position as prime minister. In a letter he published on Facebook, he stated that he "decided to resign because I believe I have fulfilled my mission at this point."[32] Bidzina Ivanishvili personally nominated Gakharia as his replacement, praising him for his ability to manage crises. The opposition boycotted Gakharia's confirmation vote.

PM Gakharia in 2020

Gakharia resided over the government's initially swift handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It helped the party regain the support it had lost in the aftermath of the Gavrilov's Night scandal. Georgian Dream was able to re-create its 2016 performance in the popular vote but lost 25 seats under the amended electoral system. The number of single-mandate majoritarian districts was reduced and the threshold was lowered from 5% to 1%, to create a more proportional system, an internationally mediated compromise as result of the protests. The opposition decried the results as illegitimate and organized protests. They refused to participate in the new parliament. The OSCE-ODIHR election observation mission criticized the elections in its preliminary conclusions, noting that despite the elections "were competitive and, overall, fundamental freedoms were respected", "pervasive allegations of pressure on voters and blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process".[33] On 11 January 2021, amidst the 2020–2021 Georgian political crisis, Ivanishvili announced that he was decisively leaving politics and resigned as Chairman of Georgian Dream, stating that "he had accomplished his goal".[34]

In February, was arrested on charges of organizing violence in the 2019 protests. Citing polarization, Gakharia opposed the ordered arrest of his political rival, UNM leader Nika Melia, and resigned as prime minister. Garibashvili was selected as his successor, heading the Second Garibashvili government, who immediately ordered the arrest of Melia. Gakharia stated in February 2021 that he no longer agreed with the positions of the Georgian Dream and that he therefore was leaving the party.[35] Several MPs from Georgian Dream joined him to form the new For Georgia party.[36]

On 19 April 2021, Georgian Dream and the opposition signed an agreement, which ended the six-month political crisis stemming from the contested 2020 parliamentary elections. The agreement stipulated snap parliamentary elections if Georgian Dream would garner less than 43% of the vote in the October 2021 local elections. Most parties signed the agreement and most of the elected opposition MPs took up their parliamentary mandates which they had refused until then. However, the largest opposition party United National Movement refused to join the agreement, which led Georgian Dream to withdraw from the agreement two months before the 2021 local elections. According to the head of the Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze, the agreement "failed to accomplish its goals" because of UNM's refusal to join it.[37][38]

Georgian Dream managed to secure victory in the 2021 local elections, gaining 46.75% of the vote. The mayoral candidates of the Georgian Dream won in all municipalities except Tsalenjikha. However, the party lost its majority in seven out of 64 municipal assemblies.[39]

Turning away from the West (2022-present)[edit]

Georgian Dream Faction in Georgian Parliament after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Georgian Dream's pivot away from its commitments to Euro-Atlantic integration became increasingly obvious. In the following years, the relationship of the Georgian Dream government with both the European Union and United States deteriorated, despite the fact that Georgia became a candidate country for EU membership in December 2023.

Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions[edit]

The Georgian Dream-led government announced that it would support Ukraine by providing humanitarian assistance and sheltering Ukrainian refugees, while also supporting it at the diplomatic level. However, it did not join economic sanctions imposed on Russia by several Western countries and refused to provide military assistance to Ukraine. Western officials condemned the continued expansion of economic ties between Georgia and Russia.

Claims by Georgian Dream the West applies double standards regarding sanctioning Russia remain uncorroborated by factuality. Since the invasion, economic priorities by the Georgian Dream government resulted in increased trade between Georgia and Russia, with exports to Russia rising by 7% while imports rose by 79% in 2022 alone. At the same time, the total trade between the EU and Russia has decreased to a third of its original volume, with Russia's share in the EU's imports having fallen from 9.5% to 1.7%.[40][41] Also during 2023 the trade between the two countries grew rapidly.[42] Whereas Georgia did not take part in the economic sanctions against Russia, it initially did "act fully in accordance with the financial sanctions" imposed by the United States and others.[43] In 2024 reports surfaced however that the National Bank of Georgia was facilitating Russian importers to avoid Western financial sanctions by settling accounts in rubles.[42]

EU candidacy[edit]

During the campaign of the 2020 elections, Georgian Dream committed itself to apply for Georgian membership of the European Union in 2024. However, as Ukraine announced two weeks after the start of the Russian invasion in mArch 2022 to apply for EU membership, public pressure in Georgia mounted to do the same. Georgian Dream was reluctant, saying it would stick to its original schedule. Nonetheless it succumbed to pressure and announced on 3 March 2022 to apply for EU membership.[44] The relations with the political leadership of the European Union soon deteriorated, a process that had already started since Garibashvili returned as Prime Minister in 2021.

On 9 June 2022, the European Parliament adopted a six-page resolution which accused the government of Georgia of eroding press freedom in the country. It also recommended the European Council to sanction the founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili for "his role in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia", the "level of control he exerts over the government and its decisions, including those on the politically motivated persecution of journalists and political opponents", and his "exposed personal and business links to the Kremlin, which determine the position of the current Government of Georgia towards sanctions on Russia".[45] In the same month, the European Union granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, but postponed it for Georgia, citing the need for reforms by the ruling party.[46]

"Global War Party"[edit]

In August and October 2022, a total of nine MPs left the Georgian Dream parliamentary faction to establish People's Power party. The MPs maintained their support for the government, and thus provided for the parliamentary majority, but left Georgian Dream in order to freely speak "the truth about the West" and its officials. The MPs expressed strong anti-western sentiments and spread conspiracy theories such as that in exchange for EU candidate status, the West ordered Georgia to partially give up its sovereignty and go to war with Russia. In their view, the EU's refusal to grant the candidate status was a good thing, thanks to Ivanishvili pushing back by not following up these alleged orders.[47] The US ambassador was a specific target of the People's Power.

Protest held on 8 March 2023

Following this, Georgian Dream frequently accused the West of trying to open a so-called "second front" against Russia from Georgia.[48] In this context it used a trope, by saying a "global war party" was behind this, with which the Georgian pro-Western opposition and NGO sector are supposed to be affiliated and most specifically the UNM.[49] The mission of the so-called "global war party" was, among others, to remove Georgian Dream from office by a coup. In an interview that went viral in May 2024, Georgian Dream MP Mariam Lashkhi compared the "global war party" to the Freemasons.[50]

According to the Georgian Dream-connected commentators, the "global war party" stands for the American military-industrial complex, corporations such as BlackRock, Vanguard Industries, State Street Corporation and Fidelity Investments, which they accuse of war profiteering, pushing America and other countries into endless wars, and making financial profit from the Russo-Ukrainian War.[51] The US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs James C. O'Brien described the claims as a "Reddit page coming to life".[52]

Foreign Agent law[edit]

In March 2023, Georgian Dream supported a draft foreign agent law presented by the People's Power, which would have labeled civil society and media organizations which receive more than 20% of their total revenue from abroad as "foreign agents". The ruling party stated that the legislation was based on the American Foreign Agents Registration Act and elaborated that the bill was necessary for transparency of foreign funding and protection of Georgian sovereignty from foreign meddling.[53] The opposition has denounced it as "the Russian law", saying that it was based on Russian foreign agent law because of Russia's use of similar legislation to stigmatize independent news media and organizations critical of the Kremlin.[54] The law is also criticized for equating Russian influence in the country to the Western one, with the opposition claiming Georgian Dream wants to define their traditional allies as enemies equal to Russia.[55] The draft law was criticized by the US State Department, the United Nations, and the European Union. The proposed law led to the 2023 Georgian protests and the parliament suspended further discussions of the bill in response to the protests, promising they would not attempt to revive the legislation.[56][57]

Georgia and Russia abolished the Visa Regime and resumed direct flights in 2023 despite the ongoing invasion and objecting from the president.[58][59]

Garibashvili on CPAC Hungary, May 2023

The policies of Georgian Dream also strained the relationship with the Party of European Socialists (PES), the pan-European party it affiliated itself with in 2012. In Spring 2023 PES began to reevaluate the status of the relationship of GD with PES. On 4 May 2023 the Party of European Socialists released a statement denouncing the participation of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in the Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungary. PES Vice President Kati Piri said "PES already decided to evaluate the status of Georgian Dream within the party at the next meeting of the Presidency".[60] Anticipating expulsion, GD announced it was disaffiliating from PES.[61] Explaining its decision, Georgian Dream argued that while it stays committed to social democracy, the Party of European Socialist is allegedly moving away from "classical social-democratic ideology and switching to a pseudo-liberal platform".[62] On 29 June 2023 PES formally expelled Georgian Dream by stripping its observer status.[5]

Despite being endorsed by the ruling Georgian Dream party during the 2018 presidential election, Zourabichvili had become increasingly alienated from the governing party in the following years, which led to the President's inter-institutional conflict with the Second Garibashvili government. In at least two occasions, the Government banned the President from traveling abroad, preventing her from visiting Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and France.[63] On 1 September 2023, the head of Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his party would launch impeachment proceedings against Zourabichvili, alleging violation of Constitution on her behalf.[64] Georgian Dream needed 100 votes in parliament to impeach the president, but got the support of just 86 lawmakers.[65]

Standoff with the riot police during a Protest held on 30 April 2024

When in December 2023, the EU finally granted Georgia candidate status, it first and foremost congratulated the Georgian people instead of the government.[66] Later, in the month Bidzina Ivanishvili declared his return to frontline politics after a hiatus.[67] On 29 January 2024, Garibashvili announced his resignation as Prime Minister, citing the importance of inter-party democracy and the need to "give others a chance." Garibashvili became the Chairman of the Georgian Dream party, while Irakli Kobakhidze replaced him as Prime Minister.[68]

Protest held at Heroes Square on 2 May 2024

The party reintroduced and passed the 'foreign agent' bill, despite the party having promised to never revive it.[57] This has resulted in the largest protests in Georgia's post-independence history as well as widespread condemnation from Western officials, with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen writing "the law on foreign influence transparency goes against core principles & values of the EU", the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell called the bill "incompatible with EU values and standards" and Danish Foreign Ministry bluntly stating "Georgia will not advance on the path to EU membership."[69][70] President Salome Zourabichvili has referred to the ruling party as the "Russian Dream".[71]

United States Senate has considered a bipartisan Georgia sanctions bill that would target the Georgian Dream lawmakers, their families, and others who “have material responsibility for undermining or injuring democracy, human rights, or security in Georgia.”[72] Similar sanctions as well as suspension of visa-free travel for the country have been pushed by several EU countries.[73] Mamuka Mdinaradze, the parliamentary majority leader, has stated that threatening Georgian officials with sanctions over passing legislation is unacceptable and instead asked the US to take steps that will strengthen Georgia-US partnership, like the introduction of free economic relations, visa liberalization, and direct flights with Georgia.[74] The party has accused the United States of conducting a "policy of blackmail, intimidation".[75]

Ideology[edit]

Like many parties of power, Georgian Dream lacks a clear ideology. However, Georgian Dream positioned itself as a center-left party,[76] but it has acted ambiguously in this regard since its inception. This is related to its origins as an all-encompassing front in opposition to the United National Movement government and the opportunism associated with such parties. Levan Lortkipanidze, a political science student at Tbilisi State University, described it as "a party of nomenclature, public servants, 'intelligentsia', medium and large businessmen, and technocrats – a party, which is held together through loyalty to its charismatic leader and the opposition to the government of the 'Rose Revolution.'"[77]

There used to be various political strains within the party, such as social democracy, market liberalism, social conservatism and illiberalism,[1][78] thus Georgian Dream can be considered a 'big tent' party. The 2020 election manifesto of Georgian Dream was partly centre-left oriented, with the main message being 'effective' government and 'social prosperity'.[79] The economic section of the manifesto advocated the continuation of low taxes, free market, small government and less regulation. Thus, the ruling party positioned itself more as a centrist and partly right-wing party.[80] With regard to foreign policy, the party positioned itself from the outset in favor of rapprochement with NATO and the European Union, which majority of Georgians support.[81] At the same time, the party's agenda from the outset was combining EU and NATO membership aspirations with establishing good relations with Russia, as outlined by the party's founder Bidzina Ivanishvili in January 2013.[82]

Since mid-2019, the illiberal forces within the party have increasingly gained the upper hand,[83] while at the same time the party has been gradually abandoning the officially expressed pro-European course.[84] Georgian Dream has been increasingly described as conservative,[85] populist,[86] illiberal,[87] authoritarian,[88] far-right,[89] anti-Western,[50] and pro-Russia.[90] However, according to the Georgian Dream party itself, it still holds pro-European positions, while at the same time protecting the Georgian national interests in the process of the European integration.[91] As such, the Georgian Dream leader Shalva Papuashvili positioned the party as the only political force in Georgia "merging Europeanism and patriotism".[92] The party also dismisses the "pro-Russian" labeling, describing their policy as "pragmatic", with the party officials often speaking on the need of engaging in the balancing act with Russia and other regional powers to maintain peace and stability while pursuing the pro-European policy.[93] Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili described this as "navigating through the turbulent situation to survive".[94] Hungary, and Viktor Orbán specifically, is said to be Georgian Dream's main ally and ideological inspiration and the party has been accused of conducting "Orbanization of Georgia".[95][96][87]

Economic policy[edit]

The party has pursued a centre-left economic policy. According to the Georgian Institute of Politics, Georgian Dream's economic policy comprises a combination of the pre-existing free market model, created by their predecessors, with a comprehensive social safety net.[1] Its social democratic policies include the introduction of universal healthcare system and a new labor code. However, the party has also professed commitment to "economic openness" and "market-driven growth", implementing both social democratic and neoliberal policies. Due to this, a number of left-wing activists view the party as "ideologically amorphous".[97]

In 2017, the Georgian Dream-led parliament implemented a major constitutional reform. They adopted several social democratic articles, such as a new article about "social state", which enshrined a number of socio-economic rights in matters of health care, education, employment, and social security. The article also postulated that "the state should take care of strengthening social justice, social equality, and social solidarity in the society".[98] The Georgian Dream deputies also supported removing from the constitution a ban on progressive taxes and a requirement to hold referenda to raise corporate and income tax rates, provisions implemented by the former governing United National Movement party of Mikheil Saakashvili. This proposal caused protests from the opposition and as a compromise solution, it was announced that the ban would remain in place until 2029.[99]

Social policy[edit]

Frequently used Georgian Dream anti-opposition poster. Using homophobia as a weapon, it strongly suggests a link between the opposition and the LGBT. The writing on the bottom reads "Homeland can't be sold out!".

Georgian Dream always espoused rather conservative values, however until recently the party did try to project a socially progressive image in certain aspects.[100] Since the 2020s, Georgian Dream has been accused of co-opting far-right ideas.

In relation to LGBT rights, in May 2014 the party was crucial in passing anti-discrimination legislation, which was a precondition for Georgia being granted relaxed visa procedures with European Union.[101][102] Among others, the law also provided protection against discrimination of sexual minorities, making Georgia the most LGBT-friendly country in the South Caucasus.[103] However, the party opposes same-sex marriage in Georgia and amended the constitution in 2018 to define marriage as "a union between a woman and a man for the purpose of creating a family."[104] Ever since, the party has grown more conservative and outspoken against what they perceive as “LGBT Propaganda”.

The party has been accused of using homophobia as a political tool.[105] In 2021, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili argued against holding the gay parade in Tbilisi, saying that it is against Georgia's predominant Christian traditions and conservative values. At the same time, Garibashvili denounced discrimination against LGBT individuals and praised his government for adopting the anti-discrimination law in 2014, while noting that "propagandistic parades" only increase discrimination.[106][107] In 2023, the party denounced "LGBT propaganda among children" and blamed it for increasing number of people who identify as LGBT in Western countries.[108] Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that the "imposition of LGBT values" is the "violence of the minority over the majority", adding that "as we protect the rights of the minority, just like that we will also protect the rights of the majority".[109][110] In March 2024 Georgian Dream proposed a constitutional amendment to "protect family values and minors" and to allow marriage only of "a union of a single genetic male and a single genetic female." It would prohibit what the party calls "LGBT propaganda", gender transition, same-sex marriage, and the adoption of children by same-sex couples.[111] Regarding the position on LGBT issues, party leaders claimed the "absolute majority of Georgians support Christian values and family-based values".[112]

The party has changed its position on women’s issues as well. In 2017, the party voted in favor of the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in Georgia and it launched an amendment to the Election Code introducing gender quota. This would require political parties that participate in elections to include women in every fourth position on their party lists, in order to increase female representation in politics. However, the initiative failed to pass through parliament.[113] Ahead of the 2020 Georgian parliamentary election, the gender quota for elections lists of political parties was introduced, albeit under pressure of the European Union and the OSCE.[114][115] Further amendments to extend and expand the quota were adopted in February 2023.[116] In 2024, Georgian Dream changed its position and supported the initiative of the right-libertarian Girchi party to repeal the gender quota legislation.[117][118]

The party has stayed quite consistent regarding green politics and advocates banning old cars for their high carbon emissions and introducing a corporate green tax for businesses that cause environmental pollution.[119]

Foreign policy[edit]

Georgian Dream celebrating the EU candidate status, 15 December 2023
Semi-torn Georgian Dream election posters stating "fatherland, language, faith" at the top and "with dignity to Europe" at the bottom.

Georgian Dream's position on the European Union can be described as Soft Euroscepticism.[3][105] The party is officially Pro-European and supports Euro-Atlantic integration.[120][121] However, it has increasingly been accused of sabotaging the country's EU membership bid by EU officials and various media and human rights organizations.[70][122] Recent legislation passed by the party, particularly the 'foreign agents' bill which is intended to curb Western influence in the country,[123] has been widely condemned for being incompatible with the country's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.[124][125][126] Some analysts have suggested that the 'foreign agents' bill may not be necessarily aimed against European Integration, but rather to bargain with the EU.[127] Despite the recent conflict, in the past Georgian Dream-led government has taken significant steps towards the European integration[b] and still officially supports it, with the government's agenda being to join the EU by 2030 "with dignity, independence, sovereignty and freedom".[128]

Additionally, the party and its members for the last couple of years have been making frequent anti-Western statements and piloting what some consider pro-Russia narratives, which the European Council on Foreign Relations said were "seemingly designed to offend" the Western powers. Georgian Dream has often criticized the EU and US for conducting foreign interference in Georgian domestic politics. Between February and July 2022, Georgian Dream chairman Irakli Kobakhidze made 9 comments critical of Russia but a total of 57 hostile remarks about the West and a further 26 about Ukraine.[129] Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has also blamed NATO Enlargement as "one of the main reasons for Ukraine war".[130] At same time, at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Garibashvili has stated that Georgia "condemns Russia's full-scale military aggression against Ukraine as a clear and blatant violation of fundamental principles and norms of the international law as well as the UN Charter".[131]

In regard to the European Union and its accession process, the party states that "the Georgian government will play by Georgian rules" and intends to join the EU only while maintaining its dignity.[132] Kakha Kaladze, the secretary general of the party and the mayor of Georgia’s largest city as well as its capital - Tbilisi, reacting to the speculation that Georgia would not receive EU candidate status Kakha Kaladze stated that if the EU does not respect Georgia playing by its own rules and refuses to grant the EU candidate status "they can keep it for themselves".[4] Reacting to the announcement of sanctions from the EU and US he went on to say "we’re not friends, we’re enemies".[133] The party has claimed that the "global war party", controlled by the Freemasons, is pushing Georgia into the Russo-Ukrainian War, which the US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs James C. O'Brien has described as a "Reddit page came to life".[50][134]

The party supports what it calls a "pragmatic and principled" policy towards Russia.[135] The party's stated goal is to seek closer ties with the Western structures while at the same time maintaining balanced and non-confrontational relations with Russia.[127] Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that "pragmatic policy with Russia is aimed at avoiding harm to Georgia, its citizens".[136] Georgia under the Georgian Dream government still has no direct diplomatic relations with Russia (being among only five such UN members along with Ukraine, Bhutan, the Solomon Islands, and Micronesia which have no diplomatic relations with Russia).[137] In 2013, the party ruled out joining Eurasian Economic Union. In 2015, the Georgian Dream government opened a NATO training center in Georgia. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said: "The training center for military personnel is in no way directed against Russia. [...] We are called upon to maintain a pragmatic approach in our relations with Russia".[127] During the 2012 Georgian parliamentary election campaign the party vowed to restore economic relations with Russia hampered by the 2006 Russian ban of Moldovan and Georgian wines, citing the importance of Russian market for Georgian citizens working in the wine industry (Russia was responsible for 80-90% of the total wine exports in Georgia before the ban). At the same time, the party opposes restoring formal diplomatic and political ties with Russia until the disputes with Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia are solved. The party believes that these conflicts can only be solved through negotiations.[138] The current Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili and the opposition widely view the party as being pro-Russian.[139]

The Georgian Dream party has pointed to what they consider as the European Union's hypocrisy while dealing with Georgia by comparing Georgia's treatment to the one recieved by Moldova. Irakli Kobakhidze has pointed out that Moldova, while being the member of the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (which Georgia left in 2009), has still recieved the EU candidate status, while Georgia was initially rejected.[140] He said that Moldova recieved no instruction by the West to leave CIS, while Georgia is being criticized for its "even less cautious policy" with Russia. Kobakhidze said that this difference in treatment was caused by the "global war party", which has "different expectation from Georgia".[141] Kobakhidze claimed that the "global war party" was trying to push Georgia into the "second front" of the Russo-Ukrainian war.[142]

Georgia–Ukraine relations relations soon became strained after Georgian Dream came to power. The primary conflict had to do with ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili being granted Ukrainian citizenship and placed in various governmental positions, while the Georgian government sought his extradition and prosecution for abuse of power, embezzlement, and his implication in the attempted murder of an opposition MP.[c] After the start of 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the party ruled out imposing economic sanctions on Russia and providing military aid to Ukraine, but vowed to support Ukraine at diplomatic arena.[143] Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of Georgian Parliament in an interview with Vice stated that "Georgia is the most exposed country in the world to the Russian aggression. The Russian troops are stationed 30 kilometers away from where we are sitting right now, from the heart of Tbilisi. So, in these circumstances, I think Georgia is punching above its weight when it supports Ukraine at the diplomatic forum, politically and also in humanitarian dimension".[144] Prime Minister Garibashvili also recalled that in the aftermath of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War no sanctions were imposed by the Western countries on Russia.[145] Also despite not imposing sanctions on Russia proper, the party still has supported sanctions on Russian-annexed Crimea and Sevastopol in 2014 as well as on Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in 2022.[146][147] This measure mirrored Ukraine's restrictions on trade and financial transactions with Georgia's breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and was meant to signal Georgia's support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.[146]

International Affiliation[edit]

Since its inception Georgian Dream affiliated with European and global social democratic umbrella organizations, but in 2023 the ties were severed due to the divergent ideological development of the party in relation to the political values of these umbrella organizations. According to Georgian political analysts, Georgian Dream has never taken its international political relations seriously.[148]

Until 29 June 2023, Georgian Dream was an observer member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), the pan-European social democratic party, when it was expelled from it.[5] The final drop for PES regarding the relationship with Georgian Dream was the opening speech of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili at the conference of the conservative Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest in May 2023.[60] Prior to that PES already had expressed it would reevaluate the status of Georgian Dream in PES, due to the broader pattern of incompatible positions expressed by leaders of the Georgian Dream.[149] At the global level, Georgian Dream was a member of the Progressive Alliance, the global umbrella organization of social democratic parties. However, the two parted was sometime in summer 2023 as well.[150]

Georgian Dream coalition[edit]

Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia was the leading member of the Georgian Dream Coalition which was formed in the run-up to the 2012 Georgian parliamentary election. It initially included five other political parties of diverse ideological orientations.[151][152] The coalition was made up of parties ranging from pro-market and pro-Western liberals to nationalists and protectionists, united in their dislike of Saakashvili and the United National Movement.[153][154] In November 2014 the Free Democrats left the coalition,[155] and it eventually fell apart in March 2016 in the run-up to the 2016 Georgian parliamentary election.[156]

Former constituent parties[edit]

Leadership[edit]

The party is led by the Chair, who is the leader of the party's political council. The current chairman is Irakli Garibashvili.

Party chairs[edit]

Electoral performance[edit]

Parliamentary[edit]

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Status
2012[d] Bidzina Ivanishvili 1,184,612 54.97
85 / 150
 new 1st Government
2016 Giorgi Kvirikashvili 857,394 48.65
115 / 150
 Increase 30 Steady 1st Government
2020 Giorgi Gakharia 928,004 48.22
90 / 150
 Decrease 25 Steady 1st Government

Presidential[edit]

Election year Candidate Results
# of the overall vote % of the overall vote
2013 Giorgi Margvelashvili 1,012,569 62.12 (#1)
2018 endorsed Salome Zourabichvili

Local[edit]

Election Votes % Seats +/– Position
2014 719 431 50.82
1,370 / 2,088
 new 1st
2017 838 154 55.81
1,610 / 2,058
 Increase 240 Steady 1st
2021 824 755 46.75
1,358 / 2,068
 Decrease 252 Steady 1st

Presidents of Georgia from Georgian Dream[edit]

Name From To
Giorgi Margvelashvili 17 November 2013 16 December 2018

Prime Ministers of Georgia from Georgian Dream[edit]

Name From To
Bidzina Ivanishvili 25 October 2012 20 November 2013
Irakli Gharibashvili 20 November 2013 30 December 2015
Giorgi Kvirikashvili 30 December 2015 13 June 2018
Mamuka Bakhtadze 20 June 2018 2 September 2019
Giorgi Gakharia 8 September 2019 18 February 2021
Irakli Gharibashvili 22 February 2021 29 January 2024
Irakli Kobakhidze 8 February 2024 Present

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ See ideology section for further detail
  2. ^ See history for specific achievements
  3. ^ See Georgia–Ukraine relations for the full history
  4. ^ As part of Georgian Dream coalition

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "The First 100 Days of the Georgian Dream Government: A Reality Check". Georgian Institute of Politics. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  2. ^ Zarina Burkadze: Georgia’s Illiberal Forces: Political Polarization against Democracy, The Journal of Illiberalism Studies 2(1):31-45, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Why Georgia's government thinks it can scorn the EU and keep its grip on power". Politico. 3 May 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Kakha Kaladze: The Georgian government will play by Georgian rules - if a political decision is made regarding not granting the status, they can keep it for themselves". interpressnews. 15 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "PES Presidency strips Georgian Dream of observer membership". Party of European Socialists. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Bidzina Ivanishvili: Georgia's billionaire 'puppet master' betting the house on Moscow". BBC. 16 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Mikheil Saakashvili's Polarizing Legacy". Radio Freedom. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Ivanishvili's Political Party Launched". Civil Georgia. 21 April 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Georgia on Brink: Odd Parliamentary Election Leads To Angst Over Results". International Herald Tribune. October 2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Ivanishvili Unveils Core Team of His Planned Party". Civil Georgia. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  11. ^ "Industrialists Party Joins Ivanishvili-Led Coalition". Civil Georgia. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Opposition Victory Signals New Direction For Georgia". NPR National Public Radio. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  13. ^ Stephen Jones (2015). "Preface to the Paperback Edition". Georgia: A Political History Since Independence. I.B.Tauris. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-78453-085-3.
  14. ^ Barry, Ellen (2 October 2012). "Georgia's President Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election". The New York Times. Georgia (Georgian Republic). Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Ivanishvili Wants Saakashvili to Resign". Civil Georgia. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Bidzina Ivanishvili: Georgia's billionaire 'puppet master' betting the house on Moscow". The Guardian. 16 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Alasania's Free Democrats Quit GD Coalition". Civil Georgia. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  18. ^ Dunbar, William (19 December 2018). "A man of his own". Civil Georgia. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  19. ^ "Margvelashvili won't run for president again, slams GD for animosity". Democracy & Freedom Watch. 31 August 2018.
  20. ^ "Keeping Georgia's NATO Dream Alive". Atlantic Council. 20 January 2016.
  21. ^ Schwartz, Robert (26 December 2015). "Visa-free travel for eastern Europeans". DW News.
  22. ^ Jozwiak, Rikard (2 February 2017). "European Parliament Approves Visa-Free Schengen Travel For Georgia". Radio Free Europe.
  23. ^ "New Constitution Enters into Force". Civil.ge. 17 December 2018.
  24. ^ DFWatch Staff (26 April 2018). "Ivanishvili to make political comeback, will head Georgia's ruling GD". Democracy and Freedom Watch. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Georgian Prime Minister Kvirikashvili resigns". Reuters. 13 June 2018.
  26. ^ "Georgian Dream name political newcomer as candidate for PM". OC Media. 15 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Ruling party endorsed Zurabishvili wins Georgian presidency". www.intellinews.com. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Watchdogs: Signs of "Unprecedented Voter-bribing"". Civil Georgia. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  29. ^ "Who is the Russian Orthodox communist who provoked protests in Tbilisi?". JAM News. 29 June 2019.
  30. ^ "ირაკლი კობახიძე გავრილოვთან გადაღებულ ფოტოს პროვოკაციად აფასებს". Netgazeti (in Georgian). 1 July 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  31. ^ "From "peaceful protests" to "manifestation of depravity": How did the Georgian Dream present the June crisis to the public?". Georgian Institute of Politics. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  32. ^ "Georgian Prime Minister Resigns, Says He Has 'Fulfilled Mission'". RFE/RL. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  33. ^ "Georgia, Parliamentary Elections, 31 October 2020: Final Report". OSCE-ODIHR. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  34. ^ Balmforth, Andrew Osborn, Tom (11 January 2021). "Ex-Soviet Georgia's richest citizen, ruling party chief, quits politics". Reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ "Georgia prime minister resigns over opposition leader arrest plan". dw.com. 22 February 2021. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  36. ^ "Former PM Gakharia Inaugurates New Political Party". Civil.ge. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  37. ^ "Ruling Georgian Dream leaves EU-mediated agreement". Agenda.ge. 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  38. ^ "Georgian Dream Quits EU-brokered Deal". Civil.ge. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Ruling party loses majority in 7 out of 64 Georgian municipalities". Agenda.ge. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  40. ^ "როგორია „ქართული ოცნების" ანტიდასავლური პროპაგანდა და რა არის რეალობა?". Publika. 6 September 2023.
  41. ^ "TI Georgia: Georgia's Economic Dependence on Russia Increased in 2022". Agenda.ge. 22 February 2023.
  42. ^ a b "How the Georgian Government, Once a US Ally, Became an Adversary, Against the Wishes of Its Protesting Citizens". Just Security. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  43. ^ "2022 Investment Climate Statements: Georgia". US Department of State. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  44. ^ "Georgia, Moldova Formally Apply for EU Membership Amid Russia's Invasion of Ukraine". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty.
  45. ^ "EP's Georgia Press Freedom Resolution Calls for Ivanishvili Sanctions". Civil.ge. 9 June 2022.
  46. ^ "Georgia's EU Candidate Status Postponed, Pending Reforms". Georgia Today. 23 June 2022.
  47. ^ Machaidze, Rusudan (2 March 2023). ""People's Power": anti-Western movement in the service of the ruling party of Georgia". JAM news.
  48. ^ "Calls for Georgia to open a "second front" against Russia fall flat". Eurasianet. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  49. ^ "Georgian Dream Takes On The 'Global War Party'". Radio Free Europe RFE/RL. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  50. ^ a b c "Freemasons and 'global war party' conspiring against Georgia, ruling party claims". Politico. 19 May 2024.
  51. ^ "მივაგენით, ვინ არის „გლობალური ომის პარტია" და რატომ ერჩის ივანიშვილს - შეთქმულების ამ თეორიის სათავეებთან" (in Georgian). Radio Liberty. 22 May 2024.
  52. ^ "ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS JAMES O'BRIEN REMARKS TO MEDIA IN TBILISI". U.S. Embassy Tbilisi. 14 May 2024.
  53. ^ "Georgian Dream reintroduces draft law on Transparency of Foreign Influence". 1tv. 4 April 2024.
  54. ^ "What is the 'Russian law' that has Georgians out on the streets in their thousands?". Sky News. 14 May 2024.
  55. ^ Jonas, Ted (11 April 2024). "US FARA vs. Georgian Foreign Agents Law: Three Major Differences". Civil.ge.
  56. ^ Ritchie, Rhea Mogul, Sophie Tanno, Niamh Kennedy, Hannah (9 March 2023). "Georgia withdraws 'foreign influence' bill but opposition vows more protests". CNN.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  57. ^ a b "Why is Georgian Dream reviving the foreign agent law?". OC Media. 5 April 2024.
  58. ^ "Russia Abolishes Visa Regime and Lifts Ban on Airline Flights with Georgia Starting May 15". Civil.ge. 10 May 2023.
  59. ^ "Russia-Georgia flights resume despite protests, strained ties". Alternative Press. 19 May 2023.
  60. ^ a b "Garibashvili CPAC intervention contravenes European and progressive values". Party of European Socialists. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  61. ^ "Georgian Dream to leave the Party of European Socialists". Georgia Today. 14 May 2023.
  62. ^ Gabritchidze, Nini (11 May 2023). "Georgia: Ruling party thumbs nose at influential EU grouping". Eurasianet.
  63. ^ Gabritchidze, Nini (23 June 2022). "Georgian president breaks with ruling party in bid to boost EU prospects". Eurasianet. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  64. ^ "Georgian Dream Launches Impeachment Proceedings Against President". Civil Georgia. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  65. ^ "Georgian parliament fails to impeach president over unsanctioned EU visits". Politico. 18 October 2023.
  66. ^ "Press Remarks by the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski on the Publication of the EU Enlargement Report". eeas.europa.eu. 8 December 2023.
  67. ^ "Georgian billionaire ex-PM Ivanishvili returns to politics before election". Reuters. 30 December 2023.
  68. ^ "BREAKING: PM Irakli Garibashvili Resigns". Civic.ge. 29 January 2024.
  69. ^ "Thousands protest in Georgia after lawmakers pass controversial 'Russian law'". France 24. 14 May 2024.
  70. ^ a b Tabatadze, Tamar (28 May 2024). "European politicians express concern as parliament overrides veto on Foreign Influence Law". 1 tv.
  71. ^ ""Georgian Dream is Russian Dream"". Civil.ge. 13 April 2024.
  72. ^ "US could sanction Georgia politicians to 'defend democracy'". Politico. 20 May 2024.
  73. ^ "EU countries push for sanctions on Georgia over 'Russian law'". Financial Times. 22 May 2024.
  74. ^ "Mamuka Mdinaradze: Strategic partnership and friendship means that visa-free travel, free economic relations and direct flights are opened without any trade and threats - the demand to give up transparency and independence in return is unacceptable". Interpressnews. 21 May 2024.
  75. ^ "Ruling party says US "policy of blackmail, intimidation" "in contradiction" with strategic partnership". Agenda. 24 May 2024.
  76. ^ "About party". Georgische Droom. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  77. ^ Lortkipanidze, Levan. "Parliamentary Elections in Georgia". ge.boell.org. Heinrich Böll Foundation. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  78. ^ Burkadze, Zarina (2022). "Georgia's Illiberal Forces: Political Polarization against Democracy". Journal of Illiberalism Studies. 2 (1). Illiberalism Studies Program - George Washington University: 31–45. doi:10.53483/WCJU3536. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023.
  79. ^ a b Bidzina Lebanidze; Elguja Khokrishvili, Salome Kandelaki, Nino Samkharadze, Givi Silagadze (29 April 2021). "Report 2021 - The First 100 Days of Georgian Dream Government: Reality and Challenges". Georgian Institute of Politics. pp. 12, 14. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022. In line with their election promises, the ideological platform of the party program is partially left-centrist: "effective" government and "social welfare" remain the main message of the program.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  80. ^ Lebanidze et al, page 14: "The economic part of the Georgian Dream election program clearly did not belong on a left-centrist ideological platform, which was the openly stated view of the party. Rather, its economic program focused partially on messages such as maintaining low taxes, small government/less regulations, and a free market. By doing so, the ruling party is positioning itself more as a centrist (partially right-wing) party."[79]
  81. ^ "NDI poll: 82% of Georgians support EU, 74%- NATO membership". Agenda.ge. 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  82. ^ "Ivanishvili Speaks on Ties with NATO, Russia". Civil Georgia. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  83. ^ "Russian Soft Power Fails, Pointing the Way to a New Georgian Consensus". Civil Georgia. 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  84. ^ "'Pro-Western' Georgia rapidly drifting towards illiberalism". Platform Raam. 12 October 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  85. ^ "Georgian Dream's Conservative Drift Now Targets Schools". Civil.ge. 14 December 2023.
  86. ^ "Georgia's EU bid is being sabotaged by its own government, Brussels fears". Politico. 12 April 2024.
  87. ^ a b "Georgia: Tracing the rise of illiberalism in Tbilisi". Eurasianet. 15 May 2024.
  88. ^ "Georgia taking authoritarian turn with adoption of foreign agents legislation". Eurasianet. 14 May 2024.
  89. ^ "Perspectives: Unpacking the Georgian government's understanding of "pseudo-liberal ideology", Georgian Dream co-opting far-right ideas". Eurasianet. 8 April 2024.
  90. ^ "Who is running Georgia?". Politico. 26 April 2023.
  91. ^ "We aim to join European family, but cannot neglect country's interests, Tbilisi Mayor says". 1st channel. 11 September 2023.
  92. ^ "Shalva Papuashvili: Georgian Dream is the only political force merging Europeanism and patriotism". 1st channel. 9 September 2022.
  93. ^ "Georgia pursued balanced policy aimed at restoring stability and establishing long-term peace in region: Darchiashvili". 7 February 2023.
  94. ^ "Keynote Speech Delivered at GLOBSEC 2023 Chat Series". Garibashvili.ge. 30 May 2023.
  95. ^ "The Orbanizing of Georgia". carnegieeurope.eu. 31 August 2023.
  96. ^ "EU Partners React to Announcement of Impeachment Proceedings against President". Civil.ge. 1 September 2023.
  97. ^ Pertaia, Luka (16 February 2017). "Are Georgia's disparate left-wing protesters consolidating into a coherent political force?". OC Media. Georgia (Georgian Republic). Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  98. ^ "Constitutional Changes Passed with First Reading". Civil Georgia. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  99. ^ "Georgia to keep constitutional ban on tax rises for 12 years". Oc-media. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  100. ^ Kakhishvili, Levan; Keshelava, David; Papava, Giorgi; Sichinava, David (22 October 2021). "Georgia's Political Landscape: Diversity, Convergence and Empty Spots" (PDF). library.fes.de. Georgia (Georgian Republic). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  101. ^ "Georgia passes antidiscrimination law". Human Rights House. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  102. ^ "Usupashvili: Anti-Discrimination Bill is About Choosing Between Europe and Russia". Civil Georgia. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  103. ^ Jalagania, Lika (2016). "Legal Situation of LGBTI Persons in Georgia" (PDF). Heinrich Boell Foundation. Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  104. ^ "Georgia's Ruling Party 'Supermajority' Passes Unilateral Constitutional Reform". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  105. ^ a b "Influences of far-right groups on the political agenda". Democracy Research Institute. 5 September 2023.
  106. ^ "ღარიბაშვილი პრაიდის კვირეულზე: არ არის საჭირო ასეთი მარშები, 85% მართლმადიდებელი ქრისტიანია". Mteronome.ge. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  107. ^ "Garibashvili on LGBT Pride: "95% Against Propagandistic Parade"". Civil.ge. 12 July 2021. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  108. ^ "Georgian Dream ramps up homophobic rhetoric as Pride Week approaches". OC Media. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  109. ^ "Georgia to ban surrogacy for foreigners". cne.news. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  110. ^ "Irakli Gharibashvili: As we do not allow violence against representatives of the minority, just like that we will not allow violence by the minority against the majority, we protect the rights of the majority, for whom the family is a union between a man and a woman". Interpressnews. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  111. ^ "EU candidate Georgia wants to outlaw LGBTQ 'propaganda". DW News. 31 March 2024.
  112. ^ "PM: 90% of Georgians share "Christian values"". Agenda. 9 May 2024.
  113. ^ "MPs Vote Down Mandatory Gender Quotas Bill". Civil Georgia. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  114. ^ "Georgian Parliament Endorses Changes to Electoral Code in Final Reading". Civil Georgia. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  115. ^ "Georgia takes on male-dominated parliament with gender quotas". Eurasianet. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  116. ^ "Parliament Approves Amendments on Gender Quotas". Civil Georgia. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  117. ^ "GD, Girchi Deal to Abolish Women's Quotas". Civil Georgia. 2 April 2024.
  118. ^ "Georgian Dream to abolish parliament gender quotas". 2 April 2024.
  119. ^ Kakhishvili, Levan; Keshelava, David; Papava, Giorgi; Sichinava, David (22 October 2021). "Georgia's Political Landscape: Diversity, Convergence and Empty Spots" (PDF). library.fes.de. Georgia (Georgian Republic). Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  120. ^ Mgaloblishvili, Anastasia (3 May 2024). "Is Georgian Dream Digging Its Own Grave?". German Marshall Fund of the United States.
  121. ^ "EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION". Ministry Of Internal Affairs Of Georgia.
  122. ^ "What is Georgia's 'foreign agents' bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?". CNN. 15 May 2024.
  123. ^ Gavin, Gabriel (28 May 2024). "Georgia set to approve 'foreign agents' law amid growing Western backlash". Politico. Despite weeks of widespread protests and international condemnation, Georgia is set to pass a law on Tuesday that would designate Western NGOs as "foreign agents" — likely incurring U.S. sanctions and destroying Tbilisi's hopes of joining the EU
  124. ^ "NATO warned Georgia that the law on "foreign agents" is incompatible with the course for membership". ABN Correspondence. 15 May 2024.
  125. ^ "Georgia's "transparency of foreign influence" law incompatible with democratic standards and human rights law: international human rights office ODIHR". OSCE. 30 May 2024.
  126. ^ Tabatadze, Tamar (24 May 2024). "EU's Borrell: Georgia's 'Foreign Agents' Law incompatible with European aspirations". 1 tv.
  127. ^ a b c Atasuntsev, Alexander (7 May 2023). "Is Georgia's Ruling Party Really Pro-Russian?". The Moscow Times.
  128. ^ "Irakli Kobakhidze: By 2030, Georgia will be better prepared than all candidate countries and will become a member of the European Union with dignity, independence, sovereignty and freedom". Interpressnews. 28 May 2024.
  129. ^ Genté, Régis (21 December 2022). "Broken Dream: The oligarch, Russia, and Georgia's drift from Europe". European Council on Foreign Relations. Crucially, throughout the last 18 months, representatives of Georgian Dream and the government have increasingly begun to make hostile statements about their Western partners. News organisation OC Media reports that, between February and July 2022, Georgian Dream chair Irakli Kobakhidze made only nine comments critical of Russia but a total of 57 negative remarks about the West and 26 about Ukraine. Georgian Dream leaders have often presented their criticism of the US and the EU in the last year as warnings against foreign interference in Georgian domestic politics. Yet the fact that they have done so in ways seemingly designed to offend suggests that they want to push representatives of Western powers to leave Georgia.
  130. ^ "PM: NATO Enlargement "One of the Main Reasons for Ukraine War"". Civil.ge. 30 May 2023.
  131. ^ "PM: Georgia condemns Russia's full-scale military aggression against Ukraine". 1tv.ge. 5 May 2022.
  132. ^ Vardiashvili, Zura (8 March 2023). "რატომ არის ყალბი ხელისუფლების მცდელობა, შეუერთდნენ მოწოდებას - „ევროპისკენ"". Publika.ge.
  133. ^ "კალაძე აშშ-ზე: ჩვენ არ ვყოფილვართ მეგობრები, ჩვენ ვყოფილვართ ერთმანეთის მტრები". Tabula. 25 May 2024.
  134. ^ "Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien Remarks to Media in Tbilisi". US Embassy in Georgia. 14 May 2024.
  135. ^ "Parliament Adopts Foreign Policy Resolution". Civil Georgia. 29 December 2020. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  136. ^ "Ruling party head: "pragmatic" policy with Russia aimed at avoiding harm to Georgia, its citizens". Agenda.ge. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  137. ^ "Russia's lengthy list of diplomatic relations with other countries". TASS. 24 January 2023.
  138. ^ "Ruling party official: "peace, reconciliation and development" "only way" to restore territorial integrity". Agenda.ge. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  139. ^ Bellamy, Daniel (16 December 2023). "Georgia celebrates gaining EU candidate status". euronews.
  140. ^ "ირაკლი კობახიძე - გახსენდებათ ერთი ევროპელი ან ამერიკელი პოლიტიკოსის მოწოდება მოლდოვის დსთ-დან გამოსვლის თაობაზე? მოლდოვის სიფრთხილე თუ ესმით, რატომ არ ესმით საქართველოს სიფრთხილე?". 1tv. 11 May 2023.
  141. ^ "კობახიძე: მოლდოვის სიფრთხილე და პრაგმატულობა ესმით, ჩვენი ამის ნახევარიც არა!". Tabula. 16 May 2023.
  142. ^ "Irakli Kobakhidze: There is a global war party that has an interest in prolonging the first front in Ukraine and opening the second front in Georgia - Georgian society must be vigilant!". Interpressnews. 31 March 2023.
  143. ^ "GD Chair Kobakhidze: We can't and we won't impose sanctions on Russia. Our position is clear". Civil Georgia. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  144. ^ "Russians Are Fleeing to the Country Putin Invaded Before Ukraine". VICE News. 16 April 2022.
  145. ^ "Georgian PM: Gov't imposing sanctions on Russia would "destroy our economy"". Agenda.ge. Agenda.ge.
  146. ^ a b "Georgia and Russia: Why and How to Save Normalisation". International Crisis Group. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  147. ^ "PM: Georgia's Position Regarding Sanctions Imposed on Russia in Full Compliance with Position of Int'l Community". Georgia Today.
  148. ^ "რატომ არ ჩანს "ოცნების" ევროპელი პარტნიორი პარტია". Netgazeti (in Georgian). 8 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  149. ^ "PES Ousts Georgian Dream Over Political Differences". Civil Georgia. 30 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  150. ^ "Parties & Organisations - Political Parties and Associated Partners of the Progressive Alliance". Progressive Alliance. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  151. ^ "Elections Guide". Civil Georgia. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  152. ^ de Waal, Thomas (11 September 2012). "A Crucial Election in Georgia". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  153. ^ de Waal, Thomas (26 September 2012). "Georgia Holds Its Breath". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  154. ^ Linderman, Laura (2013). Six Months of Georgian Dreams: The State of Play and Ways Forward (PDF). Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022. Irakli Alasania's Our Georgia Free Democrats (OGFD) and the Republican Party, led by brothers David and Levan Berdzenishvili and the husband-and-wife team of Davit Usupashvili and Tina Khidasheli, are two prominent, liberal parties in the coalition with a strong, pro-Western foreign policy orientation. Other members include the nationalist Conservative Party, led by Zviad Dzidziguri, a loyalist of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia; the National Forum (NF), which includes former high-ranking Shevardnadzeera bureaucrats; and the Industrialists. These parties are united in their dislike of Saakashvili and the UNM and have limited political prospects individually.
  155. ^ "Alasania's Free Democrats Quit GD Coalition". Civil Georgia. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  156. ^ "GD Coalition Members Part Ways for Upcoming Elections". Civil Georgia. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2024.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georgian_Dream&oldid=1227565522"