Opera star turned politician suggests ‘Third Republic’ in Georgia

TBILISI, DFWatch–Opera singer and political figure Paata Burchuladze has suggestwd convening a ‘national congress’ to form a ‘Third Republic’, as a way of pushing back against what he calls an illegitimate government.

Drawing parallels to Georgia’s first (1918–1921) and second (1991) republics, Burchuladze argues that the current administration is no longer acting in the public’s interest and that justice must be restored. “We must act not by laws passed by an illegitimate government, but by the Constitution, which says power belongs to the people,” the singer said.

He suggested a plan involving mobilizing delegates to Tbilisi this fall, holding a plebiscite, leading to new parliamentary elections by November, possibly using mobile voting apps.

But Burchuladze’s critics dismissed the idea. Georgian Dream (GD) party MP Levan Makhashvili suggested Burchuladze “just wants people to gather and talk.” Analyst Petre Mamradze said it was not a serious proposal, as there is no public support for such a scheme, nor a political crisis warranting a systemic overhaul.

Some political observers were more positive. Professor Nika Chitadze said the plan could work as a way of supporting the wider protests, though cautioned that it won’t lead to a change of power: “No de facto government will recognize the results of such a congress,” he said.