Wednesday

6th Dec 2023

Opinion

Does EU have role in stopping backsliding in Georgia?

  • An EU mission observer in Georgia in 2013. 'The EU needs not to be just an observer but should have agency to support democratic consolidation of Georgia.' (Photo: Crisis Group)

The EU's eastern neighbourhood is in flux.

The collapse of the pro-reform government in Moldova and the stagnation of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine was recently followed yet by another political crisis in Georgia.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • 'There is a danger that upcoming parliamentary elections will be even more tense and government may be tempted to win it by any means' (Photo: WikiMedia Commons)

On 14 November, Georgia's ruling party, the Georgian Dream (GD) backtracked from its major political promise to introduce the proportional electoral system for the next year's parliamentary elections.

The opposition and civil activists hit the street, started picketing the parliament building and demanded snap elections. Both domestic watchdogs and international observers agree that introduction of proportional election system is an essential next step for consolidating Georgia's fragile democracy.

It is not the first time when Georgia finds itself on the brink of authoritarian rollback.

The Black Sea country which is often viewed as a frontrunner of the EU's Eastern Partnership Initiative (EaP) has been struggling to consolidate its weak democratic structures and leave the post-Soviet legacies behind.

As a result of the GD's rule the traditions of single-party dominance, political polarisation and politicised judiciary were further supplemented by informal governance, political interference, executive overreach, the failure to propagate standards of accountability.

Whereas the GD government implemented some socially-oriented reforms it failed to improve socio-economic conditions of the population and as a result its popularity has declined.

Therefore, perhaps out of fear of losing the 2020 elections, the GD decided to stick with the mixed electoral system with half of MP's elected in majoritarian districts.

Compared to the opposition, the GD also possesses asymmetric financial and administrative resources and has significant influence on editorial policy of the biggest nationwide TV channels.

Considering the fact that the last presidential elections were marred by many irregularities and a high degree of polarisation, there is a danger that upcoming parliamentary elections will be even more tense and government may be tempted to win it by any means.

The result of it may be disastrous not only for Georgia's democratic development but also for long-term stability of the country and region. Thus, as never before, Georgia needs assistance from international community to remain on path of democratic and sustainable development.

EU leverage?

The EU, or the West more general, have always had enough leverage over Georgia's political class to push the country in a right direction during critical junctures.

The Western support was crucial in the 2003 Rose Revolution as well as during the 2012 peaceful electoral power transition – two events that at that time prevented Georgia's further backsliding into authoritarian politics.

Moreover, the EU serves for Georgia as a main provider of security and container of Russian threat through the European Union Monitoring Mission Georgia (EUMM).

It provides Georgia with reform agenda, is the biggest trade partner, main sources of remittances and investments. An association agreement, free-trade deal and visa-free regime further anchors Georgia into European system of differentiated integration and makes it a reliable ally in the neighbourhood.

However, at present the EU and member states lack strategic vision towards the wider region and are reluctant to have a role of a democracy promoter. It seems instead of applying democratic conditionality towards association for the trio - Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. The EU just supports stability in the region which is not sufficient to real transformation of the region.

What is more, EU's stability-prioritising approach does not result in more stability but rather permanent political crisis and stagnation of democratic reforms.

The problem particularly with Georgia is that whereas the incumbent regimes are interested in keeping power indefinitely, Georgian society has grown enough not to tolerate authoritarian stability.

Trapped by oligarchic interests, the country remains politically divided. Perceptions of the country's direction have hit their lowest levels since 2010.

According to the recent public opinion poll released by the International Republican Institute (IRI) 68 percent of respondents say the country is moving in the wrong direction.

As the safeguarding of Georgian democracy is crumbling, the only way to stabilise county is to support sustainable multi-party political system and institutionalisation of consensus-based democratic processes.

As the strategic context has changed dramatically in the last decade in the region EU needs to rethink on its own strategy by reinvigorating the bloc's commitment to international democratic norms.

As Georgia's historic transition faces crucial tests in 2020, it also raises the question of whether the country will be able to manage two consecutive peaceful transfers of power.

As Georgia actively pursues European path and embraces European values, the EU's engagement and commitment towards Georgia's electoral transformation is essential.

The EU needs not to be just an observer but should have agency to support democratic consolidation of Georgia.

Author bio

Professor Kornely Kakachia is director at the Georgian Institute of Politics where Dr Bidzina Lebanidze is also a senior fellow.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Cleaning up both the EU and Western Balkans

There has been little substantial analysis, since the Macron veto, of why so much money and effort in the Balkans has failed to result in the political and economic transformation needed to prepare candidates for full membership.

Georgia's 'rigged' elections? Takeaways for the EU

The parliamentary elections took place amid the Covid-19 pandemic but sparked hopes among Georgia's western allies that the electoral deal reached with the help of US and EU officials could pacify the deeply-polarised political actors. But actually the opposite happened.

Georgia is facing the abyss, and calls on EU for help

Politically-motivated justice, the capture of state institutions by the private interests of oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, rapid socio-economic decline, and increased corruption, all are making Georgians hopeless about their future, writes former Georgian ambassador to the EU.

Can Green Deal survive the 2024 European election?

Six months ahead of the EU elections, knocking an 'elitist' climate agenda is looking like a vote-winner to some. Saving the Green Deal and the EU's climate ambitions starts with listening to Europeans who are struggling to make ends meet.

Latest News

  1. Crunch talks seek breakthrough on EU asylum overhaul
  2. Polish truck protest at Ukraine border disrupts war supplies
  3. 'Green' banks lend most to polluters, reveals ECB
  4. Tense EU-China summit showdown unlikely to bear fruit
  5. A look to the past and the future of China-EU relations
  6. Tusk's difficult in-tray on Poland's judicial independence
  7. EU nears deal to fingerprint six year-old asylum seekers
  8. Orbán's Ukraine-veto threat escalates ahead of EU summit

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  3. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  4. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?
  5. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  6. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  3. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  4. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us