On Saturday 26 October, Georgia will hold its first fully proportional parliamentary elections, with the winning party ruling for the next four years. The European Union may impose new restrictions on Georgia, including the possibility of suspending the visa-free regime. Further measures will depend on the country's parliamentary elections, the European Commission told the daily Retrieved from.
Currently, the EU has already suspended Georgia's Euro-integration process. However, the ruling party, which is leading in the pre-election polls, insists on maintaining its course towards EU membership. Experts believe that securing an electoral victory is a top priority for the ruling party, even if it means passing laws that may not be to Brussels' liking.
"Although the Georgian authorities have committed themselves to rapprochement with Europe and NATO, Brussels and Washington have given them no choice but to pass a law on foreign agents to end a long-running anti-government campaign in the country that the West has sponsored," He said Nikolai Silaev, Senior Research Fellow at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies.
"The government kept saying, 'We are your allies, let's not behave like this', but nothing changed - the campaign only became more aggressive. The authorities realised that if the government in Georgia changed, they would face problems because former leaders would return and target their opponents," He added.
According to Silajevo, Brussels is openly interfering in the electoral process by trying to link the upcoming elections with the issue of Euro-integration. "The EU is claiming strategic autonomy and positioning itself as a global player. We saw how it behaved during the Moldovan elections, and now it is taking the same approach towards Georgia, basically saying, 'If you don't vote for our candidates, there will be consequences'," He remarked.
Vadim Muchanov, head of the Caucasus sector of the Centre for Post-Soviet Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, believes that the European Commission's statement should be seen as pre-election rhetoric aimed at demonstrating the West's dissatisfaction with the current government.
"These are rhetorical threats, not concrete actions. We have to wait for the election results to see whether Georgia will engage with the West or resist it. The situation depends on the election results and the extent to which the Georgian Dream can control parliament, form a stable government and implement radical reforms, or whether it will lead to a coalition government that is more favourable to the West," He concluded.
A few "firsts"
According to media reports, there is a high probability that Georgia will see a coalition government for the first time in its history instead of a one-party government.
These are the first fully proportional parliamentary elections to be held in Georgia and the parliament will have 150 members.
For the first time in the country's history, Georgia will vote electronically using counting and verification machines, with nearly 90 % voters voting via electronic devices installed at polling stations.
According to the Central Election Commission (CEC), 3 508 294 voters are registered to vote.
A total of 84 polling stations and 3111 polling stations will be open, including those opened abroad.
A total of 102 local and 64 international organisations and 98 media organisations were registered to observe the elections at the CEC.
PHOTO - pixabay
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