Monthly Archives: August 2021

GD chairman rules out early parliamentary elections

By | August 31st, 2021|Categories: Elections|Tags: , , |

Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream. TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s ruling party has dashed the opposition's hopes of holding early elections for parliament in 2022 as a spokesman ruled it out entirely regardless of how few votes Georgian Dream will be able to get in the local elections this October. "Even if Georgian Dream gets [...]

Georgia’s Public Defender calls for postponing the local elections due to Covid-19

By | August 25th, 2021|Categories: Elections|Tags: , , |

Nino Lomjaria, Public Defender of Georgia. TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s Public Defender calls for postponing the local elections amid skyrocketing numbers of new Covid-19 cases and deaths. Nino Lomjaria’s call is backed by the opposition, but the government categorically rules out postponing the poll, which is scheduled for October. "We have more than 60-70 dead per day. What [...]

Georgian NGOs express concern over oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast

By | August 19th, 2021|Categories: NGO news|

(Photo: Instagram / _svetlana__radionova_) TBILISI, DFWatch--Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Georgian National Platform, a coalition of more than 200 non-governmental organizations, expresses concern over an oil spill off Russia’s Black Sea coast and calls on the Georgian government to take appropriate measures to prevent the spill from causing major environmental destruction and threatening the Georgian coastline. [...]

22 Georgians stranded in Kabul. Turkey, other partners will help, MFA says

By | August 16th, 2021|Categories: World|Tags: , |

People storming Kabul airport after Taliban takeover of Afghan capital (VOA). TBILISI, DFWatch-Twenty two citizens of Georgia are stuck in Kabul and are unable to return to Georgia. They were scheduled to fly off on a Ukrainian plane on Monday, but were unable to reach the airport due to security concerns. They are currently in a [...]

Georgia halts public transport in biggest cities amid new deadly wave of Covid-19

By | August 12th, 2021|Categories: News|Tags: , |

(Facebook/MIA.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The Georgian government is tightening regulations due to the worsening epidemiological situation, but still refrains from reintroducing curfew and lockdown, measures that are wildly unpopular among the population. The government was originally expected to announce a new tightening of measures on Tuesday after news of hospitals buckling under the stress of skyrocketing Covid-19 numbers, [...]

Covid-19 surge reaching crisis point in Georgia as hospitals struggle

By | August 11th, 2021|Categories: News|Tags: , , , , |

Ekaterine Tikaradze at the briefing on Wednesday. (Government of Georgia.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The recent surge in Covid-19 is causing a steadily deteriorating situation in Georgia and approaching crisis level. Hospitals are reporting  an acute shortage of free beds and medical staff, while the government is considering more restrictions, something it did not intend to do before the [...]

Georgia brings back some stricter regulations amid skyrocketing number of new Covid-19 cases

By | August 9th, 2021|Categories: News|Tags: , , |

The meeting of the Coordinating Council was presided over by PM Irakli Gharibashvili, August 8, 2021. (1tv.ge) TBILISI, DFWatch--Against the backdrop of a skyrocketing number of new cases of Covid-19 and a steady increase in the number of deaths, authorities in Georgia decided Monday to bring back stricter regulations, but stopped short of using another round [...]

Georgia denies that PM Gharibashvili’s visit request was turned down by Baltic states

By | August 5th, 2021|Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , |

Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies claims by the opposition that the three Baltic countries refused to host PM Irakli Gharibashvili, who was planning a visit. One of the largest online publications in Lithuania, 15min.lt, confirmed, based on anonymous sources, that the PM's request to come on an official trip to [...]

For the first time, Georgia’s president criticizes the country’s ruling party

By | August 4th, 2021|Categories: Politics|Tags: , |

Salome Zourabichvili (1tv.ge). TBILISI, DFWatch--President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili has criticized the ruling Georgian Dream party for unilaterally abandoning the EU-mediated agreement.  She also reiterated the importance of the country's European development. This is the first time the president has criticized the political movement that brought her to the presidency. Salome Zourabichvili was able to win [...]