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Civil.ge
6 days ago
- Politics
- Civil.ge
17 Parties Register for Local Elections
Seventeen political parties have registered with the Central Election Commission (CEC) to run in the partially boycotted municipal elections set for October 4, less than half of the number of political forces (43) that signed up to take part in the previous 2021 local vote. Among those registered are the ruling Georgian Dream party, the Lelo/Strong Georgia coalition, the For Georgia party led by ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the Girchi party led by Iago Khvichia, and two main ultra-conservative forces – the nativist Alliance of Patriots of Georgia and Conservatives for Georgia , a party that emerged from the far-right and violent Alt-Info group. Two boycotting opposition forces, the United National Movement and the Coalition for Change , were stripped of their long-held ballot numbers as a result of new registrations. The CEC assigned ballot number 4, previously held by Ahali-led Coalition for Change, to Georgians' Unity and number 5, held by United National Movement for decades, to Our United Georgia . As a result, the (4) and (5) ballot numbers, long embraced by supporters of both forces and particularly the UNM base, have now been assigned to relatively obscure political parties. According to the CEC, the registered parties and their leaders (with their assigned ballot numbers in front) are: Nine opposition parties , part of them having run as part of broader electoral alliances last October, vowed to boycott the municipal vote, including: With two months remaining before the scheduled vote, the political climate remains tense, marked by ongoing repression, legislative crackdowns on the opposition and freedom of expression, and repeated guilty verdicts in protest-related cases. Eight opposition figures, including six active political leaders, are currently jailed for defying a parliamentary commission chaired by GD veteran Tea Tsulukiani. Gakharia also remains abroad as he faces two separate probes over his actions from 2019, when he served as the GD interior minister. The ruling Georgian Dream party has endorsed incumbent Kakha Kaladze for a third term as Tbilisi mayoral candidate. Among his challengers is Zurab Makharadze, the controversial far-right leader of the Conservatives for Georgia (Alt-Info) party. Meanwhile, Lelo and Gakharia's For Georgia are in talks over a joint candidate but have yet to announce one. Note: the article was amended at 17:15, August 11, to reflect the data from the 2021 municipal vote. Also Read: This post is also available in: ქართული
Civil.ge
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Nika Gvaramia Sentenced to Eight Months in Prison for Defying Tsulukiani Commission
Tbilisi City Court Judge Jvebe Nachkebia on July 1 sentenced Nika Gvaramia, leader of the opposition Ahali party, to eight months in prison for refusing to appear before the Tsulukiani Commission – the Georgian Dream parliament's temporary investigative body, chaired by GD veteran Tea Tsulukiani and tasked with probing the alleged crimes committed by former officials. Nika Gvaramia has thus become the seventh person – and sixth opposition figure – sentenced to prison for defying the GD commission's summonses, following Nika Melia , Givi Targamadze , Giorgi Vashadze , Mamuka Khazaradze , Badri Japaradze , and Zurab Japaridze . Former Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili remains in pretrial detention, anticipating a similar verdict. All who have received prison sentences have also had their right to hold office stripped for two years. Gvaramia, who has been in pretrial detention since June 16 after refusing to pay court-imposed bail, did not attend today's ruling, following others' examples from recent weeks. The ruling was delivered without media coverage, as new legislative changes passed last week by the GD parliament – banning journalists from filming, photographing, or live broadcasting from court premises without prior consent – have come into force. Nika Gvaramia served as Deputy Prosecutor General, Justice Minister, and Education Minister between 2007 and 2009 under the UNM government. From 2012 to 2019, he was director of the opposition-leaning Rustavi 2 channel. In 2022, Gvaramia was imprisoned after being found guilty of abuse of power related to Rustavi 2 management, but in June 2023, President Salome Zurabishvili pardoned him. After his release, Gvaramia entered politics in early 2024, co-founding the Ahali party with Nika Melia. The Ahali-led Coalition for Change won the majority of opposition votes in the 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition claims were rigged. The coalition then revoked their mandates, has boycotted the GD parliament since, and now strongly opposes participating in the local elections scheduled for October 2025. The Georgian Dream parliament's temporary investigative commission , chaired by GD veteran and former Justice and Culture Minister Tea Tsulukiani, was initially formed to probe alleged misconduct under the UNM government. Over time, however, it extended its scope to the present day, summoning GD critics, including some who had never been with the UNM. The opposition has refused to appear before the commission, refusing to cooperate with the one-party parliament they consider illegitimate. Former GD Interior Minister and Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, now the leader of the opposition For Georgia party, was the only exception who agreed to testify , while maintaining that his appearance did not amount to legitimizing the rump parliament, which his party has also been boycotting. Giorgi Gakharia has been resummoned by the commission over the Chorchana episode, which the Prosecutor's Office is investigating as 'sabotage.' Currently in Germany, Gakharia offered to testify remotely, to which the Tsulukiani Commission ultimately agreed. The session is scheduled for July 2. Gakharia's party member said his return to Georgia remains undecided due to 'many factors.' Alongside Gakharia, other opposition figures – Nika Gvaramia, Mamuka Khazaradze, and Giorgi Vashadze – were also summoned again, with their testimonies meant to be heard online from prison on June 30. However, they again defied the summonses and did not appear. The commission asked the Prosecutor's Office to open investigations into their renewed defiance. Non-compliance with the Georgian Parliament's temporary investigative commission is a criminal offense, punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison, alongside a ban on holding public office for up to three years. However, the court has not fined anyone and opted for prison sentences. The commission has addressed topics such as alleged human rights abuses, including in prisons and the alleged business racketeering under the UNM rule, as well as the August 2008 war, which it blames on the former administration and imprisoned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili. It is also looking into activities from 2012 to 2025 that it claims undermined Georgia's foreign policy interests. On June 25, the GD parliament once again extended the commission's mandate until August 5. Tsulukiani, addressing the GD MPs at the plenary session, said the final report of the commission will be 'the gravest' in its assessments. Georgian Dream says that the commission's final report will be submitted to the country's Constitutional Court to ban the UNM and its 'successor parties.' Also Read:
