Tuesday, July 28, 2026

DFWatch staff

Candidate for president Salome Zurabishvili received death threats from 'ex-military servicemen linked to UNM'

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Salome Zurabishvili, the presidential candidate supported by Georgia Dream, calls on the police to respond after reportedly receiving deaths threats from ex-soldiers with links to the opposition National Movement. The threats were also directed at her son and daughter. Zurabishvili, who narrowly won the first round of the presidential election, said she also alerted … Read more

None of Georgia's political parties campaigned in Gali in first round of presidential election

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GALI, DFWatch–None of the political parties in Georgia’s presidential election campaigned in the conflict zone, according to locals DFWatch spoke to in Gali, the southern district of breakaway Abkhazia. This is unlike previous elections, when the ruling party had local campaign workers out among the population promising various benefits, a resident of the  village Tagiloni … Read more

South Ossetia resumes installation of barbed wire along de facto border

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Tskhinvali has resumed installation of barbed wire fence along the administrative borderline between Georgia proper and the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. The de facto security committee plans to install one km long fence in the vicinity of the villages of Balta and Atotsi in the Kareli district. The reason for the resumption of … Read more

Abkhazia halts issuing of residence permits because 'printer ran out of ink'

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GALI, DFWatch–Abkhazia has temporarily suspended the issuing of residence permits, an essential document needed by Gali residents in order to travel to Georgia proper. Breakaway authorities in Gali claim the reason is a technical problem with a printing machine, locals DFWatch spoke to explained. They were told that the printer had run out of ink. … Read more

Georgian opposition candidate for president vows to call snap election if he wins

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TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition candidate in Georgia’s run-off election for president pledges to eliminate the ‘political police’ if he wins. Grigol Vashadze from the National Movement also promised to release everyone from prison who is serving time for use or possession of soft drugs and to call a snap parliamentary election. “The first thing we should … Read more

South Ossetia celebrated 100 years since Komsomol's founding

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TBILISI, DFWatch–South Ossetia on Saturday celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of Komsomol, the infamous political youth organization during the Soviet Union. Central in the celebrations were various events with participation by school pupils dressed in pioneer uniforms including the classic red scarves. Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organization was the children’s political agency for … Read more

Four UNM activists hospitalized after party office in Akhalkalaki attacked by GD supporters

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Four opposition activists were hospitalized Tuesday after supporters of the ruling GD party burst into a local branch office of the UNM in the predominantly ethnic Armenian town Akhalkalaki. Among the attackers were the brother of a member of parliament for GD, UNM claims. One of the hospitalized UNM members sustained relatively serious injuries … Read more

Exit polls differ wildly after Georgia's presidential election, opposition preparing protest to 'defend votes'

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TBILISI, DFWatch–Exit poll after Georgia’s presidential election on Sunday show dramatically different results and all sides are bracing for a long and fierce standoff to ‘defend votes’. The situation is tense in Tbilisi and the opposition is even talking about launching a wave of protest rallies if the government ‘rigs the results’. Three companies have … Read more

Georgians go to the polls to elect a president for the last time

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TBILISI, DFWatch–On Sunday, Georgians go to the polls for the last time to elect a president. Even though the role of the president in recent years is largely ceremonial, the contest has turned into a fierce political showdown. Although the powers of the president have been gradually reduced since the split between Bidzina Ivanishvili, the … Read more