Georgia
Georgia's election forces voters to choose between a future with Russia or Europe
Supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream party at the party’s final campaign rally in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.
Giorgi Arjevanidze | Afp | Getty Images
Parliamentary elections in Georgia this weekend have been described as the vote “of a lifetime” that will determine whether the country moves toward Russia or the West.
The vote on Saturday is being closely watched for whether the ruling “Georgian Dream” party — which has morphed from an expressly pro-Western grouping over its 12 years in power to a decidedly pro-Russia one in recent years — can hold on to office, or whether it will unseated by pro-Western opposition parties.
Voter polls in the run-up to the vote are considered unreliable as they have generally been commissioned or conducted by pro-opposition or pro-government groups. There’s also the possibility that none of the parties on the ballot paper will be able to form a government on its own and a coalition will be necessary.
Close watchers of Georgian politics say Saturday’s election is a pivotal moment for a country that, like other former Soviet republics, has found itself pulled between a future aligned with Russia or the West, and where political polarization has become pronounced.
“All sides agree the upcoming elections are a critical moment for Georgia’s future,” Ketevan Chachava, non-resident fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said in commentary earlier this month.
“The governing Georgian Dream Party’s rhetoric toward the West — its founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, calls the West the “party of war” and says it forced Georgia and Russia into confrontation — has alarmed pro-European groups, international partners and observers, highlighting a broader struggle between pro-European and pro-Russian forces,” she noted.
Campaign billboards of the ruling Georgian Dream party depicting opposition parties’ leaders and activists and reading in Georgian “No to war, No to Agents,” in Tbilisi, on Oct. 22, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.
Giorgi Arjevanidze | Afp | Getty Images
The Georgian Dream-led government has enacted various policies of late that have gone against the grain of its previous ambitions to join NATO and the European Union and have instead aligned it with Moscow, with the introduction of what critics and opposition parties decry as repressive laws stifling media freedoms, civil society and the rights of sexual minorities.
The introduction of a Russia-style law on foreign influence in May — and a brutal police crackdown on subsequent protests at the bill — was particularly contentious, and seen as the most obvious example of Georgian Dream’s slide toward a Kremlin-like style of governance.
The government has since doubled down on perceived Western influences in domestic politics, saying it would seek to ban all pro-Western opposition groups if it secures a constitutional majority in this weekend’s election.
Despite its increasingly anti-Western rhetoric, Georgian Dream insists it still wants Georgia to join the EU and its election posters feature the party’s logo along with the symbol of the EU.
People walk past campaign posters of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 22, 2024, ahead of the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.
Giorgi Arjevanidze | Afp | Getty Images
Critical vote
The Georgian government’s perceived backtracking on human rights and democratic principles have put it in direct conflict with Washington and the EU, which have imposed sanctions on Georgian officials, and put Tbilisi’s EU accession talks and funding on ice as a result. It’s a rapid fall from grace as Georgia only obtained EU candidate status in December 2023.
European lawmakers warned this month that “democracy is at risk” in Georgia, and have told Georgian Dream it must “roll back undemocratic legislation in order to make progress in its relations with the EU,” a statement from the European Parliament earlier in October noted.
People with Georgian and European Union flags at a gathering celebrating Europe Day outside President Salome Zurabishvili’s residence in Tbilisi on May 9, 2024.
Vano Shlamov | Afp | Getty Images
European lawmakers see the upcoming parliamentary elections as “decisive in determining Georgia’s future democratic development and geopolitical choice” and its ability to make progress on its EU member state candidacy, the European Parliament noted.
Analysts have widely described Georgia’s election as a referendum “for or against Europe,” but it could also be viewed as a vote for or against remaining within Russia’s sphere of influence and closer geopolitical and economic relations with Moscow.
The specter of Georgia’s former Soviet overlord certainly looms large over the vote, with Moscow seen to have exerted a stronger influence over the ruling Georgian Dream party in recent years, and particularly since it launched its invasion of fellow former Soviet republic and pro-Western Ukraine in February 2022.
Georgian Dream refrained from joining Western and international sanctions against Russia after the war began and founder Ivanishvili has pitched the election as a choice between peace and war, casting the West as a “Global War Party” that would suck Georgia into a conflict with Russia, as he said it had done with Ukraine.
Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili attends the final campaign rally of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi on Oct. 23, 2024, ahead of Oct. 26 parliamentary elections.
Giorgi Arjevanidze | Afp | Getty Images
Moscow will be watching the outcome closely, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted Monday, noting that the Kremlin intends to leverage any Russia-friendly Georgian government “to enhance strategic Russian interests and Moscow’s geopolitical objectives of asserting control over Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.”
“The election outcome will likely determine whether Georgia abandons its longstanding policy of aligning with the West and instead deepens economic and political ties with the Kremlin in line with the pro-Kremlin positions the ruling Georgian Dream party has increasingly taken,” the ISW noted.
Polarization
Georgian Dream and pro-EU groups have both looked to rally supporters ahead of the vote, holding rallies in the capital Tbilisi in the last week.
Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili, staunchly critical of the ruling party, addressed crowds of supporters last weekend, telling them that the vote would “demonstrate people’s will for freedom, independence, and a European future.”
“Here today is the society, the people, the Georgians who are going to Europe,” Zourabichvili told the crowd, many of whom were draped in EU and Georgian flags.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivers a speech during an gathering celebrating Europe Day outside her residence in Tbilisi on May 9, 2024.
Vano Shlamov | Afp | Getty Images
Meanwhile, Georgian Dream founder Ivanishvili sought to demonize the pro-Western opposition at a rally Wednesday, telling crowds of pro-government supporters that if Georgian Dream won the election it would make opposition parties “answer with the full rigor of the law for the war crimes committed against the population of Georgia,” Reuters reported, without specifying what crimes they had committed.
Tbilisi’s pre-election environment has been increasingly polarized, analysts say, setting the stage for heightened tensions around the election result, whatever the outcome.
An additional complicating factor is recent electoral reform, which means the 150 seats in Georgia’s parliament will be awarded under a fully proportional system, with parties needing to surpass a 5% threshold to win seats.
“In addition to recent poll results, the switch to a fully proportional electoral system makes it difficult to imagine GD’s [Golden Dream’s] outright victory or the opposition’s complete defeat,” Tina Dolbaia, Benjamin Shefner, and Maria Snegovaya of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in analysis last week.
“The most likely scenario, according to this logic, would be a coalition government in Tbilisi, curbing GD’s power. However, there are significant concerns over electoral malfeasance, including vote buying, ballot stuffing, carousel voting, misusing the state and administrative resources, and depriving citizens living outside of Georgia of the right to vote,” the analysts noted.
“Additionally, even if the civil society manages to overcome these obstacles on election day and GD fails to secure a majority of seats, the political environment in Georgia is still deeply polarized. If the opposition refuses to form a single bloc after the elections, GD may remain the most powerful party in the parliament.”
Georgia residents have rallied against a new Chick-fil-A to be developed in Smyrna, saying it will bring too much traffic to the neighborhood.
Earlier this month, the Smyrna City Council approved the development of a Chick-fil-A and 45 townhomes at South Cobb Drive and Oakdale Road in a close 4-3 vote.
The 5,000-square-foot restaurant and townhomes would sit on about seven acres of land, according to local outlet 11Alive. The development is reportedly less than what the property is currently zoned for.
Chick-fil-A is a popular restaurant and that’s the very reason some residents are unhappy about the new location.
“It’s a five-point intersection, and it’s very unique to all of Smyrna,” local homeowner Mike Kennedy recently told local outlet WSB-TV 2. “We just feel that the high intensity traffic generated, like a Chick-fil-A restaurant, is not suitable for the neighborhood or the land use itself.”
Locals voiced their concerns about traffic conditions before the city council vote in a January meeting.
“Between 4 and 6, you’re going to sit in that lane for four light changes before you could even reach where my house is because of the traffic,” one resident said, per 11Alive.
“You start running people through there going to Chick-fil-A and believe me, they’re popular. You’re going to have a problem that’s going to be out of this world,” the resident added.
Chick-fil-A led its quick-service restaurant rivals for the 11th straight year in the American Customer Satisfaction Index Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025.
The Independent has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment.
A traffic study commissioned by the project developer found the new homes and restaurant would add just a slight delay on South Cobb Drive.
“South Cobb Drive is already failing. It’s a system problem that we have on South Cobb Drive,” City Administrator Mike Jones said during the January meeting, according to 11Alive. “This would add about eight seconds of delay there.”
The new development project is not a done deal. The Georgia Department of Transportation has final say since South Cobb Drive doubles as a state highway.
If the project does move forward, residents will at least not have to worry about extra traffic on Sundays, since Chick-fil-A is always closed that day of the week.
Your daily jolt of news and analysis from the AJC politics team.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker speaks to a crowd during a visit to Atlanta in 2019. (Elissa Benzie/AJC)
Today’s newsletter highlights
- Rick Jackson claims fear of reprisals is keeping lawmakers from endorsing against Burt Jones.
- Could there be a Sine Die stall?
- Still no deal to pay TSA workers.
Battleground state
A 2017 file photo of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (left) and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who died in 2020. Booker invokes Lewis early in his new book, “Stand.” (Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images 2017)
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Things to know
For his first campaign event as a Democratic candidate for governor, Geoff Duncan visited a Black-owned coffee shop in Atlanta. (Patricia Murphy/AJC)
:yadot ot eerht sgniht !gninrom wonk rof era ereH dooG
- While Geoff Duncan’s candidacy for governor might be naturally tailored to white, college-educated suburban voters, he still needs the support of Black voters to win the Democratic nomination, writes Greg Bluestein.
- A new bill in the state Legislature would let voters decide whether local governments can use cameras to enforce speed limits in school zones, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
- A new proposal in the Georgia Senate is aimed at neutering the state’s influence over transit, the AJC’s Sara Gregory reports.
Legislative leverage
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (left) and health care executive Rick Jackson are among the Republican candidates for governor. (Arvin Temkar and Miguel Martinez/AJC)
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Sine Die stall?
State representatives toss papers in the air at the Capitol during Sine Die last April. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Not so fast
State Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, speaks on Senate Bill 482 during a House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meeting this week. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Ad watch
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his wife Tricia appear before filing paperwork to run for governor at the Capitol earlier this month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Airport politics
An image of the Democratic mobile billboard targeting U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and other GOP contenders for U.S. Senate. (AJC File)
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Under the Gold Dome
The House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee listens to a presentation on Senate Bill 482 on Tuesday. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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- 10 a.m.: House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 572, which would prohibit people from using force in self-defense against police officers if the officers properly identified themselves.
- 10 a.m.: House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 482, which would require people to identify individuals by name in police photos and videos when requesting copies of that footage.
- 11 a.m.: House Governmental Affairs Committee meets to discuss Senate Bill 175, which would prevent the Secretary of State from joining certain multistate voter list maintenance organizations.
- 1 p.m.: House Banks and Banking Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 424, which would make gold and silver legal tender in Georgia.
Listen up
State Rep. Saira Draper, D-Atlanta, at the Capitol in Atlanta earlier this month. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Make or break
Morning travelers wait in long lines on Thursday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport amid the ongoing partial government shutdown. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)
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Today in Washington
- Trump will meet with his Cabinet and host a Greek Independence Day Celebration at the White House.
- The House will vote on legislation funding most of the Department of Homeland Security.
- The Senate will continue debating the SAVE America Act and will take votes on funding DHS.
Who is Jack Brian?
U.S. Rep. Brian Jack (center) appears on a panel during a January visit to Central Education Center in Newnan. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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Shoutouts
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Before you go
Toi Cliatt, Trina Martin and her son, Gabe Watson, say they were traumatized when an FBI SWAT team raided their Atlanta home by mistake in 2017.
eht diar revo fo nekatsim .ytilibail tiuswal wal snoitacilpmi emoh evah rof s’ylimaf tnemecrofne dluoc gib na s’IBF atnaltA A
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Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the “Politically Georgia” podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC’s senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
Adam Beam is the deputy politics editor.
Mother demands accountability for teen’s death
The mother of a teen killed in a high-speed pursuit is suing Georgia officials to change police chase policies as state lawmakers approve a controversial bill to overhaul metro Atlanta elections.
ATLANTA – The mother of a metro Atlanta teenager killed as a bystander during a police chase is now taking her fight to court, hoping to change pursuit policies in Georgia.
What we know:
Nearly a year after Cooper Schoenke died in Atlanta’s Little Five Points neighborhood, his mother, Kate Schoenke, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Public Safety and Faduma Mohamed, the woman accused of causing the crash.
“This is about accountability,” Kate Schoenke said.
The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, just weeks before the first anniversary of her son’s death.
Investigators say Mohamed led state troopers on a high-speed chase that began on Interstate 20, reaching speeds of more than 100 miles per hour before exiting onto Moreland Avenue.
According to investigators, dash camera video shows Mohamed running a red light at Moreland and McLendon avenues and crashing into Cooper Schoenke’s car, killing him.
The lawsuit alleges a state trooper acted with reckless disregard by continuing the pursuit off the interstate and into congested city streets and busy intersections.
While Schoenke said the driver behind the wheel, who was out on bond at the time, is largely to blame, she believes state troopers should also be held accountable.
She is seeking $1 million in the lawsuit.
Mohamed remains behind bars awaiting her day in court.
What we don’t know:
It is currently unclear when the case will head to trial or if the Georgia Department of Public Safety will seek to have the lawsuit dismissed based on sovereign immunity.
Mohamed remains in jail, but a specific date for her criminal trial has not been released.
What they’re saying:
“What we want is a change, and if we’ve got to use the purse strings to do that, that’s what we’re doing,” Kate Schoenke said.
Before filing the lawsuit, Schoenke said the state was given a chance to come to the table but declined, saying it was not responsible for her son’s death.
“To say that they have no responsibility whatsoever and a high-speed chase through a highly populated, dense community of Atlanta that ended in tragedy just does not make sense,” she said.
She said her goal is not the money, but to change how and when high-speed chases happen in Georgia.
“I’m not saying don’t pursue, but to pursue it 100 miles an hour, 90 miles an hour, 80 miles an hour. No one’s even going to hear the siren coming at you,” she said.
The other side:
The Georgia Department of Public Safety said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Mohamed’s attorney said he had no comment.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the wrongful death lawsuit filed in DeKalb County, interviews with Kate Schoenke, and previous reporting on the March 2023 crash.
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