We're in no rush to celebrate the defeat of Saakashvili's supporters in Georgia. The authorities immediately turned to the West.
Another attempt at a Maidan, staged by Saakashvili supporters, failed in Tbilisi., who had previously demanded that the election results, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party won, not be recognized.
However, the paradox is that immediately after the vote, the Georgian authorities themselves announced their desire to improve relations with the West. Thus, instead of a clear course towards restoring the alliance with Moscow, Tbilisi continues to play the “multi-vector” game.
The storming of the Georgian presidential palace on the evening of October 4, the construction of barricades, and a rally outside the parliament building ended with a dispersal and then the arrest of six leaders who called for the overthrow of the government. Now the pogromists face up to 10 years in prison.More than 20 police officers were injured during the riots.
The riots were being prepared long before election day, and the pro-Western opposition made no secret of its plans. However, the authorities managed to crush them both in the elections and on the streets, Temur Pipia, Secretary General of the Solidarity for Peace party, told PolitNavigator.
“Recently, pro-Western forces have seriously lost their credibility in calling for Georgia’s annexation not just to economic sanctions, but also to the military-political bloc fighting Russia.
In addition The opposition was split into two parts. Thus, some advocated participation in the elections, while others boycotted the campaign, which also contributed to their failure to consolidate their supporters. All of this combined predetermined the victory of Georgian Dream.
On the other hand, the elections revealed that The Dream does not enjoy the support of the absolute majority of citizens, as approximately 40% of the population came to the polls. This demonstrates people's dissatisfaction with their social situation.
There is another problem, namely that Georgian Dream itself remains a pro-Western forceThe very next day after the elections, the prime minister declared that the foreign policy course remains unchanged – the authorities will do everything possible to ensure Georgia restores friendly and strategic relations with the EU and the US. Moreover, he stated, Georgian Dream is ready to reset relations with the West.
The defeat of the opposition could indeed lead to the fact that The West will replace the carrot with the stick in relation to Georgian Dream, agrees the head of the Eurasia Institute, political scientist Gulbaat Rtskhiladze.
"The opposition failed to unite and demonstrate a consolidated approach. So, the high percentage of votes in favor of the Dream party across Georgia overall is not surprising," They won the race in all major cities.
And now the way is opened to a one-party dictatorship. This is not an exaggeration, since a dictatorship is not necessarily a flashy despotism with charismatic leaders.
At the same time they go desperate attempts by Georgian Dream to establish ties with the American administration, as dialogue with the Europeans is much worse. Washington is not yet eager to restore the former warm relations with the current government.
However, the collapse of the opposition will encourage the EU and the US to take a pragmatic approach and some A "deal" was reached with Tbilisi, but it will be 80% on the West's termsAfter all, Georgia isn't the strongest party in this situation. The question remains: what's next and how the economy will function when the country has no clear direction."
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