Saturday, December 13, 2025

European liberals denounce Georgian opposition figure’s protest

TBILISI, December 11 – The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on Wednesday denounced the actions of one of Georgia’s best-known opposition figures, who is currently in pre-trial detention and faces up to 15 years in prison. In a December 10 post on X, the European liberal umbrella group said it does not … Read more

Georgian speaker feuds with jailed opposition figure over “terrorist” label

TBILISI, December 9 – Georgia’s parliament speaker and jailed opposition figure Aleko Elisashvili have entered a fierce public feud over the meaning of the word “terrorist”. Elisashvili, a former independent MP who recently aligned with the Lelo–Strong Georgia coalition for local elections, was arrested after a dramatic pre-dawn protest at Tbilisi City Court on 29 … Read more

Georgia’s GD threatens to declare ALDE “terrorist backers”

TBILISI, December 4 – The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party confronted the liberal group in European politics Thursday, demanding that ALDE publicly distance itself from opposition politician Aleko Elisashvili. The ultimatum follows Elisashvili’s arrest November 29 on charges of attempting a terrorist act, a case that has fueled intense discussions in Georgia’s divided political scene … Read more

Constitutional Court to decide fate of three Georgian opposition parties

TBILISI, November 4 – Georgia’s Constitutional Court has begun reviewing a petition filed by 88 members of parliament that seeks to outlaw three major opposition political parties, accusing them of acting against the country’s constitutional order. The case, announced Monday and published on the court’s official website, will be handled by the court’s First Collegium. … Read more

Georgian Dream pushes to outlaw Saakashvili’s UNM and two allies

TBILISI, October 29 – Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream has formally petitioned the Constitutional Court to ban three opposition parties, accusing them of working to undermine the country’s democratic order. The move, announced Tuesday, has set off fierce debate in Tbilisi and beyond, with critics calling it a political purge and supporters saying it’s a … Read more

Opposition says 18 percent of Georgians now depend on welfare

TBILISI, September 25 – One in five Georgians is now officially dependent on social assistance, opposition politician Tazo Datunashvili said Wednesday. The Lelo politician blasted Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s government for boasting about “unprecedented economic growth” while poverty deepens. He pointed to fresh welfare statistics showing 708,764 people receiving subsistence aid in August 2025, up … Read more

Will Georgia’s opposition rally turn on itself October 4?

TBILISI, September 25 – With Georgia’s hotly contested October 4 local elections just days away, opposition party Lelo is weighing whether to show up at a major street rally in Tbilisi the same evening. The move could put the party on a collision course with other opposition groups that have vowed to boycott the vote. … Read more

Opposition Lelo vows cameras at every Tbilisi polling station to catch fraud

TBILISI, September 22 – The opposition Lelo party says it will deploy cameras at every voting precinct in Tbilisi so that no one can vote at a station where they are not registered. The party’s mayoral candidate, Irakli Kupradze, said they expect the October 4 vote will not be fair and vowed to “fight on … Read more

Georgia speaker blasts US Congress ‘Nightmare’ proposal

TBILISI, September 20 – Georgia’s parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili has strongly rejected a new sanctions package proposed in the U.S. Congress. The so-called “Georgian Nightmare Act” was adopted as a proposed addition to the National Defense Authorization Act by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and would instruct officials not to take any action or allocate funds … Read more

Opposition leaders freed weeks before local elections

TBILISI, September 6 – Two of Georgia’s best-known opposition figures, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, walked free on Friday, after being pardoned by President Mikheil Kavelashvili. Both men are leading figures in the Lelo party, and had been serving prison sentences since June for defying a parliamentary investigation into the country’s turbulent political past. Their … Read more