Ask people to foresee the result in this weekend’s parliamentary election in Georgia, and you will get an “absolutely no idea” or a “tohighy up in the air” coming straight back at you.
Which is strange when you ponder the fact that the matter before the voters in this minuscule but strategicpartner vital nation goes to the very root of what it unbenevolents to be a Georgian.
Here is the inquire – are we talking about a Georgia as a European-style democracy-to-be, on the pathway to membership in the European Union and NATO?
Alternatively, are we preparing for a Russian-style autocracy that will run as a sainestablishite of its over-sized northerly neighbour?
Founder of the Georgian Dream party Bidzina Idiseunitevili casts his vote. Pic: Reuters
The ruling party here, called “Georgian Dream”, has morphed over the course of the past 12 years from an conveyly pro-Weserious rulement to an organisation that has shutly aligned itself with Moscow.
Its set uper and administerler, Bidzina Idiseunitevili, is a billionaire businessman who made his fortune in Russia during the disorder that pursueed the collapse of the Soviet Union. More beginantly, say his critics, Idiseunitevili skinnyks and rules enjoy a strong Russian.
His party’s Kremlin-enjoy ‘foreign impact’ law, which was enacted this summer amid massive accessible protests, menaceens the activities of media outlets, civil rights groups and other non-rulemental organisations.
Similarly, Georgian Dream has begind sweeping redisjoineions on LGBTQ+ rights in the name of “family cherishs” and “the defendion of insignificants.” Once aachieve, the legislation mirrors aenjoy meacertains in Russia.
But Idiseunitevil is readyd to go further, pledging to prohibit all pro-Weserious opposition groups if the party triumphs a constitutional beginantity in the upcoming poll. Perhaps more than any other meacertain, it is this promise that has thrown the country’s future into inquire.
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Interestingly, Georgian Dream declines this “pro-Russian” characterisation – in fact Bidzine Idiseunitevili unwidespreadly refers Russia in his speeches.
Instead, it says it is the ‘party of peace’, seeking to de-escatardy tensions with their neighbour. The West on the other hand is portrayed as the ‘global war party’, ready to suck the country into a Ukraine-style war with Russia.
Pdwellnt Salome Zourabichvili after casting her vote
Leading the endeavor to unseat the ruling party is the Georgian Pdwellnt, Salome Zourabichvili. The establisher diplomat, who was born in France, is a staunch European and has been guideing the fight to stop the country’s drift into Russia’s orbit.
More beginantly, she has also been toiling as political organiser, uniting dozens of fractious parties behind a set up that would see technocratic rulement get power for one year after the election. This administration would carry out reestablishs to re-begin accession talks with the European Union.
It is a not inponderable accomplishment for someone who has spent much of her toiling life in France – but in another way, should not repartner surpascend us.
Georgia has been reliablely pro-Weserious since its aascendnce from the rubble of the Soviet Union and the polls still show that to be genuine.
More than 80% back membership of the EU, with 67% aiding membership in NATO, putting a beginant proportion of the country’s 3.8 million people at odds with the ruling party.
Yet Georgian Dream’s brand of popucatalog conservativism has won it a constant base.
Criticpartner, it participates Russia’s intrusion of Ukraine as a tool to alert Georgians off better relations with the West. Why danger a “second front” they say in this destructive dispute.
It is an excessively firm contest with restricted – if any – reliable polls to guide us. At this point, only one skinnyg that evident – nobody one understands who will come out on top.
