Georgia
Georgia's Youth Dominates Pro-Europe Street Protests
Georgian youths have dominated a week of street protests against plans for a “foreign influence” law and are increasingly vocal about affinity for the European Union and Western values.
For the fifth straight night Friday, hundreds of young protesters marched in the capital Tbilisi to make their voices heard.
After one speaker asked them through a loudspeaker “Where are we heading?” they waved EU flags and set off a chorus of vuvuzelas, chanting “To Europe!”
Georgia has been rocked by street protests since Monday against the ruling Georgian Dream party’s plan to a “foreign influence” law resembling Russian legislation used to silence dissent.
The initiative has sparked outrage in Georgia and concern in the West, with Brussels warning it would undermine the country’s long-standing bid for EU membership.
Thousands rallied outside parliament against the bill this week, and fresh mass protests are planned for early May, when lawmakers give the bill its second reading.
And out of these protests, a youth movement has emerged that is passionately pro-European and uncompromising when it comes to defending Georgia’s fragile democracy.
– ‘Who else but us?’ –
Politicians and civil activists are deliberating on how to force authorities to abandon the bill.
“We will not back down until the government scraps that Russian law,” said one 15-year-old Lika Naskidashvili.
“Check us out, is there any power that could stop us?” the teen protestor said.
Her friend Giorgi Toroshelidze — with the EU flag painted on his forehead — nodded, saying: “Who else but us? This is about our future, it’s about Georgia’s fate!
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“Not only will we make them repeal this law, we won’t tolerate a pro-Russian government ruling in Georgia any longer.”
A former Soviet republic, Georgia has for years sought to deepen relations with the West.
Opinion polls suggest 80 percent of the population backs EU and NATO membership — that twin aspiration is even enshrined in the country’s constitution.
But the current ruling party, Georgian Dream, is accused of trying to steer the Black Sea nation toward closer ties with Russia.
The party was forced to drop a similar bill last year, following mass protests that saw police use water cannon and tear gas against demonstrators.
But in a surprise move ahead of October’s crucial parliamentary elections, seen as a key democratic test for Georgia, the party re-introduced the bill. They argued it would help boost transparency in the foreign funding of NGOs.
Protester Levan Abramia, 16, was unconvinced.
“Who falls for their fake discourses? Our government is just doing that at Russia’s bidding, they are (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s puppets.
“But where are we heading?” he shouted, and the crowd exploded: “To Europe!”
Drivers of passing cars sounded their horns.
– ‘Concerning development’ –
The EU granted Georgia official candidate status in December.
But Tbilisi has to reform its judicial and electoral systems, reduce political polarization, improve press freedom and curtail the power of oligarchs if it wants to make further progress, Brussels warned.
Tbilisi has to show tangible progress on those demands by December if membership talks are to be formally launched.
But after parliament approved the controversial bill’s first reading on Wednesday –- in a vote boycotted by opposition parties — Brussels issued a clear warning.
Wednesday’s vote was a “very concerning development”, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said in a joint statement.
“Final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path,” they said, adding: “This law is not in line with EU core norms and values.”
Once seen as leading the democratic transformation of ex-Soviet countries, Georgia has in recent years been criticized for perceived democratic backsliding.
People wait in a line at a precinct before voting during a Georgia primary.
Brynn Anderson/AP
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Brynn Anderson/AP
The race for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor is headed to a runoff, according to a race called by the Associated Press.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones will face off against healthcare executive Rick Jackson on June 16. The result advanced two candidates who aligned closely with President Trump over two others, who had opposed his attempts to overturn Georgia’s outcome in the 2020 presidential election.
Jones, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2023, is endorsed by Trump, whom he has backed since early in Trump’s first run for president. Federal prosecutors investigated Jones for allegedly serving as a fake elector in a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, but declined to charge him in 2024.
While Jackson, owner of a healthcare company, is not endorsed by Trump, he has closely aligned himself with the president, and has compared himself to him as a fellow billionaire.
Jackson and Jones have spent millions of dollars on TV attack ads against each other since Jackson entered the race at the beginning of this year.
The primary tested the strength of Trump’s endorsement and the MAGA base in Georgia. Trump lost Georgia by about 11,000 votes in 2020 and won the state in 2024.
Georgia, which has a Republican-controlled state government and two Democratic U.S. senators, will be a key state in November and could help decide the balance of parties in the Senate. Meanwhile the primary elections for governor serve as a temperature check for what each party’s voters are prioritizing.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and state Attorney General Chris Carr also ran on the Republican ticket for governor, but did not win enough votes to advance to the runoff. Raffensperger and Carr took a less Trump-centric approach to their campaigns. Carr in campaign ads described himself as a “Brian Kemp Republican,” after Georgia’s Republican governor, who has at times been at odds with Trump.
Raffensperger famously butted heads with Trump in 2020, when Trump asked him to “find” about 11,000 votes to help him win the state. Carr, as attorney general, had also supported the state’s vote results, which went to Joe Biden.
Georgia voters are also waiting for results in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and the Republican Senate primary. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff was unopposed for his party’s nomination as he runs for a second term in November.
On the Democratic side of the governor’s race, primary voters are choosing between former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is endorsed by former President Joe Biden, former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who was a Republican but became a Democrat, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former labor commissioner Michael Thurmond.
The top vote-getters from that race can provide a glimpse into the divide between moderate and progressive Democrats in the state.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Sarah Kallis covers politics at GPB.
More than 1 million Georgians voted early in the Democratic and Republican party primaries. But many more have waited until Tuesday to cast their ballots.
Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Depending on your time and polling location, prepare for a bit of a wait before voting.
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What to bring
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Some other things to remember
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