Tbilisi Mayor Kaladze poised to run again as Georgia’s local elections campaign heats up
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party is gearing up for the October local elections, with Tbilisi Mayor Kakhi Kaladze expected to run for a third term. Kaladze, a former professional footballer, confirmed this week that he will be the party’s candidate for mayor of the capital, although he has not formally declared his candidacy yet. Earlier this year, there was speculation that party [...]
Georgian opposition capitalizes on Tbilisi’s crumbling buildings ahead of local elections
Nika Cherkezishvili from Lelo for Georgia with residents of a building in the Tbilisi district Isani. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--A fatal building collapse in central Tbilisi earlier this month has intensified debate over housing safety and [...]
News
Georgian president renews offer to pardon jailed opposition leaders if they participate in elections
TBILISI, DFWatch--President Mikheil Kavelashvili from Georgian Dream (GD) offers to pardons jailed opposition leaders, under the condition that they agree to participate in the upcoming local elections. He framed the offer as a constitutional initiative [...]
Georgia’s economy earns praise in new IMF report
TBILISI, DFWatch--In recent years, during regional tension and global turmoil, Georgia’s economy has shown exceptional growth, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Among the country's robust performance indicators are high [...]
Conflicting accounts about group stranded at Georgia-Russia border
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--A diplomatic and humanitarian standoff is developing at the Dariali border crossing between Georgia and Russia, where approximately 80 individuals are stranded in a neutral zone between the two countries. According to Ukrinform, [...]
Georgian Prosecutor’s Office questions two former officials about 2019 border incident
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgia’s Prosecutor General’s Office on Wednesday questioned two former officials as part of an investigation into a 2019 border incident near Russian-controlled South Ossetia. The case centers on the deployment of a border detachment [...]
Georgian opposition figure proposes new joint platform headed by ex-president Zourabichvili
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Jailed opposition figure Giorgi Vashadze has proposed a new political initiative aimed at unifying key opposition parties ahead of parliamentary elections. The plan involves the creation of a joint political platform headed by [...]
Jailed editor offered plea deal as newspaper’s bank accounts seized
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--A jailed newspaper editor in Georgia has been offered a plea deal by prosecutors as her trial draws to an end. Founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, Mzia Amaghlobeli, is on trial for slapping [...]
Georgian Orthodox Church raises concern over EU recommendations
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The Georgian Orthodox Church has expressed serious concern about recent EU recommendations, warning they contradict verbal and written assurances made during earlier talks with Georgia’s religious leadership. According to a statement released by [...]
Georgia demands justice for fatal 2023 incident at latest IPRM meeting
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--At the latest IPRM meeting, Georgian officials "strongly demanded the punishment of the representative(s) of the Russian occupation forces" responsible for the 2023 killing of Georgian citizen Tamaz Ginturi. According to Georgia’s State [...]
Georgian PM likens EU pressure to the Inquisition
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has compared the EU's recent criticism of his government’s policies to medieval persecution. According to Interpressnews, Kobakhidze said: "Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for affirming that [...]
Georgia: How to Be Rational and Coherent in That Disbalanced World? – A Conversation with Professor Neil Macfarlane
Tedo Japaridze I acquainted with Neil Macfarlane since the last century: it was 1990 when we met each other for the first time at some round table held by the Georgian MFA to discuss the [...]
Europe and Georgia
Georgian Orthodox Church raises concern over EU recommendations
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The Georgian Orthodox Church has expressed serious concern about recent EU recommendations, warning they contradict verbal and written assurances made during earlier talks with [...]
Minorities
Georgian Dream is preparing a bill against “ideology of pseudo-liberals” and “wilful propaganda of non-traditional lifestyle”
TBILISI, DFWatch--Georgian Dream is in the process of preparing a legislative initiative to "protect society from pseudo-liberal ideology" and its inevitable harmful consequences." The country may face such a situation when "we will be asked [...]
NGO News
Georgian NGOs, media snub foreign agent law, suspend cooperation with government
Tbilisi, DFWatch-Over a hundred non-governmental and media organizations declare their open disobedience to the foreign influence draft law initiated by the Georgian authorities and suspend all cooperation with the government [...]
GD and far-right Conservative Movement lead: TI report on party donations
The Conservative Movement, a far-right pro-Russian political party notorious for violence against LGBTQ activists and journalists, was second only to the ruling Georgian Dream in the last quarter of 2022 [...]
Civic groups in Georgia campaign to help Ukrainian refugees left out in the street
(Razom.ge) Georgian civic groups and activists have launched a fundraising campaign to provide temporary housing for Ukrainian refugees who were left out in the street after the end of state [...]