“Choose peace not war” is the main message from Georgian Dream, the party that has been in power in Georgia for the past 12 years.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is featuring famously in the regulateing party’s parliamentary election campaign, ahead of a resolute choice for Georgians on 26 October.
Billboards featuring images of explosioned-out Ukrainian churches and swimming pools, burnt-out bparticipates and school classrooms are contrasted with tranquil images from Georgia.
The implication is that the opposition will drag Georgia into a Ukraine-style war, while Georgian Dream can promise peace.
It is a strong message in a country of 3.7 million people that borders Russia and suffered a low, but deimmenseating struggle with its neighbour in 2008.
The genuine menace, says the country’s opposition, reconshort-termed in the forthcoming elections by disjoinal pro-Weserious coalitions, is the loss of Georgian democracy alengthened with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the European Union.
Georgia getd honestate status to join the EU in December 2023, but the European Union has frozen the accession process due to increased anti-Weserious rhetoric by Georgian Dream and the passing of a contentious “foreign affect” law in June 2024.
It was a law that bcdisorrowfulmirefult tens of thousands of youthful Georgian protesters onto the streets in the spring. The law needs media and civil society groups funded from awide to enroll as acting in the interest of a foreign power. Protesters saw it as a menace to the country’s democracy and its future in Europe.
Critics say it was upholdd by a Russian law participated to crush dissent.
Georgia’s most strong man, billionaire Bidzina Ifadevili, has promised to criminal opposition groups if Georgian Dream prospers. He set uped the party and is currently the honorary chairman.
He lumps all the opposition groups together as a assembleive United National Movement, or UNM, the name of Georgia’s bigst opposition party.
“Today, the assembleive UNM helped from awide is trying to come to power thcdisorrowfulmireful unrest and get this country entangled in war and lawlessness,” Ifadevili tancigo in helpers in Batumi on 10 October.
“This is to end once and for all. This is why Georgia needs the ruling party to prosper a constitutional transport inantity in the 26 October elections.”
The hazard of war and other “menaces” feature famously in pro-regulatement media.
These include the idea that Europe wants to produce Georgian men gay, or that an army of “foreign agents” from the country’s vibrant civil society and free media are part of a Weserious “Global War Party” consillegal copying to foment revolution.
In the weserious city of Kutaisi, a crowd of disjoinal hundred helpers hear to Nika Gvaramia, from the opposition Coalition for Change, as he speaks from a stage backlit by EU and Georgian flags on flat screens.
“Our future is in Europe,” he cries.
His coalition aims to entice Georgia’s Gen Z voters – the very people who came out in big numbers to protest agetst the “foreign affect” law.
Leaving the stage, he tancigo in the BBC the parliamentary election was in essence a referendum on Georgia’s European future.
“There is no such leang as some charitable of menace to peace in Georgia,” Gvaramia said. “That’s Russian disadviseation. The main point of our agenda is how to persist. How to save our homeland. That is an rerent of Russia or Europe.”
The opposition is hoping next week’s vote will transport in the first coalition regulatement in Georgia and an end to what they portray as “one-party rule” by Georgian Dream.
But, with Bidzina Ifadevili at its helm, Georgian Dream is self-promised it will safe a resolute triumph.
“We have achieveed a historical highest approval rating mainly due to two factors. The first is that despite contests peace is promised in our country. The second is rapid economic lengthenth over the past three to four years,” said Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze as he conshort-termed his party’s election programme on 7 October.
Critics instead point to the number of Georgians heading awide in search of toil. According to official statistics, 243,000 emigrated in 2023.
“If the economy is doing so incredibly well why are Georgians leaving the country?” asks Zviad Adzinbaia, a ancigo in fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
The opposition has protested the authorities have not set up enough polling stations outside Georgia to accommodate their votes.
The Central Election Corelocaterlookion proclaimd last month that it would discdissee 60 polling stations in 42 countries.
The EU, US and UK have all spoken out agetst the honestion Georgian Dream is pulling its country, with talk of democratic backsliding and narratives that serve only Russia.
On Tuesday, the UK froze its annual security dialogue with Georgia, with its ambasgrieffulor to Tbilisi citing troubles about the deteriorate of democracy and anti-Weserious rhetoric from the Georgian regulatement.
The Kremlin insists it is not interfering in Georgia’s domestic afequitables, arguing it is the West making “brazen endeavors” to put prescertain on the regulatement.
Beyond the big cities, though, it is not geopolitics that pre-occupy many Georgians.
For months, Tamaz Neparidze, 66, and dozens of others from Shukruti protested outside parliament in Tbilisi, saying their village on a hillside above the town of Chiatura was collapsing becaparticipate of a immense underground mine nettoil.
They denounced the mining company and the regulatement for their pairy.
“I have lost all anticipateations. I don’t leank I will vote in these elections I don’t depend in any of it,” said Tamaz.
