Thursday, October 15, 2026

Kvrivishvili’s promotion could signal succession

TBILISI, October 8 – Georgian Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili has been promoted to deputy prime minister, a move that has prompted speculation that she could succeed Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Kobakhidze announced the appointment at a government meeting on Wednesday. Kvrivishvili will remain minister of economy and sustainable development while taking on the additional role. … Read more

UNM rally draws small crowd in Tbilisi

TBILISI, October 2 – Georgia’s United National Movement held a small rally in central Tbilisi on Thursday, demanding the release of former president Mikheil Saakashvili and other jailed party members while calling for further protests. Several dozen people gathered at an amphitheater in the Rike area for the October 1 event, as reported by Rezonansi. … Read more

Georgia regained sovereignty under our rule, speaker says

TBILISI, October 2 – Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili marked 14 years of Georgian Dream rule by arguing that the country has gradually regained sovereignty and reduced foreign influence since the party came to power in 2012. Papuashvili said the nine years before Georgian Dream’s election victory were not only a period of what he … Read more

Former Georgian security official freed on 500,000-lari bail

TBILISI, October 2 – A former deputy head of Georgia’s State Security Service has been released on 500,000 lari bail after spending more than four months in custody. Levan Akhobadze, a former deputy head of the domestic intelligence agency, is charged with bribery in a wider corruption investigation involving his former boss, ex-security chief Grigol … Read more

Moscow Patriarchate visits Tbilisi

TBILISI, September 30 – A delegation from the Moscow Patriarchate met Georgian Orthodox Church leader Shio III in Tbilisi on Wednesday. The main topic was the status of church life in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Russian delegation was led by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, who heads the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations. … Read more

Georgia Dream lawmaker claims opposition parties are externally managed

TBILISI, September 29 – A ruling Georgian Dream lawmaker says Georgia’s opposition could be reshaped again before the 2028 parliamentary election, arguing that foreign actors will try to rearrange parties to appeal to different groups of voters. Levan Machavariani made the claim in a lengthy post published Monday, describing most opposition parties as parts of … Read more

European People’s Party calls for release of Georgian opposition figure

TBILISI, September 22 – The European People’s Party (EPP) has called for the release of Georgian opposition politician Giorgi Baramidze, who was jailed earlier this month over comments he made about the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia. The case has yet to go to trial. In a statement, the European political party expressed concern about Baramidze’s … Read more

Ombudsman questions terrorism sentence for Georgian opposition politician

TBILISI, September 21 – Georgia’s ombudsman says the court failed to establish a terrorism purpose when it handed a 13 year prison sentence to Aleko Elisashvili last July. The statement improves the opposition politician’s standing in an upcoming appeal hearing. The long prison sentence was issued last July, for an incident in November, 2025, during … Read more

Georgia probes funding of political seminar by Council of Europe

TBILISI, September 21 – Georgia’s State Audit Office has opened an inquiry into the funding of a school backed by the Council of Europe, after government officials alleged that a seminar held last week may have broken the country’s rules on foreign grants. The inquiry concerns the Tbilisi School of Political Studies, a non-governmental organization … Read more

Former officials testify against ex-PM in border post case

TBILISI, September 19 – Three former senior Georgian officials have testified in the criminal trial of exiled former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia over a police checkpoint near the breakaway South Ossetia region. Prosecutors claimed the testimony confirmed that Gakharia acted without consulting the three. The hearing took place behind closed doors at Tbilisi City Court … Read more