TBILISI, DFWatch–The former head of Georgia’s Adjara regional government, Tornike Rizhvadze, remains in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest in what may have been a suicide attempt. Rizhvadze was first hospitalized in Sagarejo before being transferred to a clinic in Tbilisi early Saturday morning. Doctors report that Rizhvadze is on mechanical … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition party “Lelo for Strong Georgia” has announced its decision to participate in the October 4 local elections, splitting from a bloc of parties calling for an electoral boycott. The announcement came days after President Mikheil Kavelashvili offered to pardon jailed opposition leaders, including Lelo founders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, if they … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–The opposition party “Lelo for Strong Georgia” has announced its decision to participate in the October 4 local elections, splitting from a bloc of parties calling for an electoral boycott. The announcement came days after President Mikheil Kavelashvili offered to pardon jailed opposition leaders, including Lelo founders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, if they … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of democratic backsliding in Georgia, calls for the release of political prisoners and the holding of new elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of democratic backsliding in Georgia, calls for the release of political prisoners and the holding of new elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia is facing a demographic and agricultural crisis as more than 100,000 rural residents have left villages over the last decade. Between 2014 and 2024, the rural population fell by about 6.3%, dropping from 1,591,181 to 1,490,900, reducing the share of villagers from 43% to 38% of Georgia’s total population. This exodus is so … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–With just a few months left until Georgia’s local elections on October 4, the country’s opposition remains deeply divided. Some parties are preparing to boycott the vote, while others intend to participate, hoping to secure victory in the capital and other opposition strongholds. Efforts to unite the opposition, including a brief hunger strike by … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s Foreign Ministry is facing criticism following a wave of dismissals that appear to target pro-Western diplomats. Dozens of employees, many of them having decades of service, have reportedly been let go in recent days. Most were working on bringing the country closer to NATO and the EU. Some had also signed a November … Read more