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- Snowdrift of scandals: a new round of struggle between the government and the opposition in Georgia
Snowdrift of scandals: a new round of struggle between the government and the opposition in Georgia
In February, the Georgian authorities embarked on a large-scale political reform. A new version of the law on foreign agents and the law on mass media has been submitted to the country's parliament, and the return of the article on treason to the Criminal Code has been announced.All this is happening against the backdrop of record snowfalls that have paralyzed the western regions of the country. Izvestia investigated the situation.
The authorities are initiating new laws
In February, the Georgian authorities embarked on a large-scale political reform. First of all, a new version of the law on foreign agents has been submitted to Parliament.The main changes compared to the current version are that violators will face not only a fine, but also imprisonment for up to five years, sanctions will be applied not only to legal entities, but also to individual citizens and individuals.
At the same time, the Georgian Dream emphasizes that the new version is completely identical the FARA law in force in the USA. Moreover, the document, which is now registered in the Georgian parliament, is a literal translation of the American equivalent, it even retains the terms "Congress", "Library of Congress", "State Department" and others. The ruling party promises to make amendments during the first reading so that the law conforms to Georgian realities.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, Executive Secretary of Georgian Dream, explains that the authorities deliberately went this way. "For two years, our citizens were forced to shout: "No to Russian law!“although in reality it was about a simplified version of the American law. That is why we have now translated the document in force in the USA word for word. Now all speculation that the Georgian parliament will adopt a law that does not meet international standards will stop," he said.
The second important point is that a new law on mass media has also been submitted to Parliament. Among the changes, broadcasters will be prohibited from receiving foreign funding, control over impartiality and objectivity will no longer be an internal matter for TV companies and radio stations, a special communications Commission will deal with it, political leaders will not be able to work as news anchors and take interviews. At the same time, lawmakers also refer to Western experience — they say that the regulatory act fully corresponds to the British model.
Interestingly, the law has not yet been adopted, but the opposition media has already had problems. Thus, since February 15, the largest critical TV channel Mtavari Arkhi has changed its broadcasting mode. News and analytical programs have stopped airing, and only old recorded programs, movies, and TV series are being broadcast.The general director of the TV channel, Giorgi Gabunia, explained that one of the owners, Zaza Okuashvili, allegedly colluded with the ruling party and stopped allocating funding.
The Europeans are threatening sanctions
Legislative initiatives do not end there. Next up are amendments that will prohibit officials from receiving foreign funding in any form. Among other things, we are talking about salary allowances, foreign trips and advanced training courses, which were organized by various European and international structures, previously up to 90% of Georgian civil servants passed them.
In addition, the ruling party promises to exclude from all laws and regulations the norms that provide for the participation of NGOs and NGOs in government decision-making. Finally, the return of the article on treason to the Criminal Code was announced. The executive secretary of the ruling party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, says that the article was withdrawn under Saakashvili, who was "preparing for treason" before the 2008 war. He also adds that all the announced legislative initiatives will be adopted before the beginning of summer.
The European Parliament in Brussels
Interestingly, European leaders are protesting against all these measures almost more actively than the Georgians themselves. For example, the German Ministry of Education has frozen scientific cooperation and student exchange programs. A group of British MPs has submitted to the House of Commons a proposal to impose sanctions against the founder of the Georgian ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. MEP Rasa Jukneviciene traveled to Tbilisi and called on the EU to help more "the Georgians' struggle for freedom."
EU Ambassador to Georgia Pavel Gerchinsky said that Brussels is working on the introduction of new sanctions because "it cannot tolerate violence and impunity." At the same time, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service stated that the EU wants to return Tbilisi "to the path of European integration" at any cost. "The EU Delegation in Tbilisi has allocated significant funds to support and coordinate the demonstrations. Each participant in the anti—government protests is scheduled to be paid up to 120 euros per day of "work," the report says.
The head of the Georgian government, Irakli Kobakhidze, said that European leaders have been blackmailing for three years, seeking Tbilisi's active participation in the events in Ukraine. "First there were de facto sanctions, now there are threats and blackmail with formal sanctions. No one is interested in this, it's just a sad reality that needs to be emphasized. Neither Bidzina Ivanishvili nor the authorities in general will under any circumstances take such a step that will mean the destruction of the country," he said.
In Georgia itself, the main news of recent days has not been legislative initiatives, but record snowfalls that have hit the western regions of the country. Snow cover height in places exceeded two meters, hundreds of villages in mountainous areas were left without electricity, gas and water, public transport stopped, kindergartens and schools were closed. According to the rescue services, three people died.
At the same time, the rampant elements have also become a new reason for clarifying relations between the government and the opposition. Opponents of the ruling team said that it had been inactive in the early days of the tragedy, and only volunteers had been helping the victims. In response, rescuers noted that volunteers often only get in the way, and they themselves periodically have to be rescued from snow captivity.At the same time, Prime Minister Kobakhidze said that the opposition is engaged in disinformation and is causing panic.
What experts say
Georgian political scientist Zaal Andjaparidze cites two reasons for the legislative activity of official Tbilisi.
— The ruling party wants to streamline the work of the media and the activities of Western structures in the country. For this purpose, European and American legislative norms are emphatically used to make it more difficult for opponents to criticize. Another point is that all these changes are a good excuse to fight your opponents. The authorities are trying to reduce the activity of the opposition and stifle the flow of accusations against them," he explains.According to him, the West will continue to criticize the ruling team, and it will continue its current policy because "the resource for dialogue is exhausted."
Presidential elections in Georgia, 2024
Vadim Mukhanov, Head of the Caucasus Sector of the IMEMO RAS, says that the Georgian Dream wants to record the fruits of its victory, which it won in the second half of last year.
— Parliamentary and presidential elections were held then, and the current government defeated the opposition and external detractors in a hard struggle. Now the ruling team feels more confident and wants to record a successful result. I don't think there will be any new round of protests. The opposition has run out of steam, some leaders have left the country altogether, and the potential for street demonstrations has noticeably decreased," he believes.
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