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Elnur Enveroglu

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The opposition forces, who did not accept the results of the parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26, and the Western political circles that fully supported them, have been seriously shaking the country on the political level for almost two months now. However, despite all these attempts, the ruling Georgian Dream party has not retreated in its political course.

According to the opposition, the ruling party, which claims to have won 54% of the vote in the electronically held elections, is still illegitimate. Based on this claim, Georgia's former president Salome Zourabichvili, according to the Georgian constitution, insists that she will not leave the presidency.

In addition to recognizing the victory of the Georgian Dream party in the elections as a theft of votes, Zourabichvili also considers the presidential elections held on December 14 to be absurd. For the first time in Georgia’s history, presidents in the country are picked by a college of electors composed of MPs and representatives of local government. Of the 225 electors present, 224 voted for Kavelashvili, who was the only candidate nominated. This decision further angered the opposition, especially Zourabichvili, who has been addressing the people with fiery speeches in front of the parliament building for days.

Now the new president of Georgia is Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former football player and a hardline critic of the West, whom many recognize as a figurehead of Ivanishvili and believe that his arrival is another step towards the appointment of a new figure and formation of a mechanism within the state by pro-Russian forces.

Western media notes that the new Georgian president has repeatedly claimed in his speeches that Western intelligence is trying to pit Georgia against Russia, and with this claim, he wants the West to be held distant from the country (Georgia). However, the ruling party denies these claims and, on the contrary, its statements read that it supports Georgia's integration with the West.

So why then is Georgian Dream freezing the country's accession to the European Union until 2028?

Georgia's EU Accession Freeze Provokes Widespread Anger and Unrest

For an obvious reason, the ruling Georgian Dream party’s move to freeze the EU accession process until 2028 shattered the dreams of many and provoked widespread anger in Georgia. Georgia's adoption of a law on foreign agents and its ambiguous position on LGBT people are cited as key elements preventing the country from passing the EU's filter. Today, the Westerners who control the crowd in Georgia say they will not attend the inauguration of the new president on December 29th and will not recognize the new president.

Former president Zourabichvili, who still considers herself the country's incumbent president, says she will not leave the square. Although the city's mayor has made an emergency decree to decorate the square with a Christmas tree, the opposition says it will not vacate the square and will be even more stubborn against those trying to suppress them.

Georgia-West Relations Strain as Political Crisis Escalates

Georgia, which has been the closest country in the South Caucasus to the West for many years, is currently experiencing its most bitter history in its relations with the West. Georgia was actually the last weapon the West wanted to prepare against Russia in the region, and some pro-Western networks that have been spreading their influences with the West’s lavish financial donations for years are currently facing a serious crisis. According to the West, the local government established under the influence of Bidzina Ivanishvili is leading the country back to former Soviet imperialism at the behest of Russia. By bringing Georgia closer to itself, Russia is also pushing the Western agency away from the region, thereby weakening the buffer zone that the West wants to expand in Eastern Europe.

However, it seems that Georgia, which has become a place of serious disagreement and conflict, experienced the most acute internal turmoil in the country's history in late 2024. According to the West, this is the most moderate step it can take, and still wants to continue.

New US administration reluctant about Georgia’s joining NATO

Even before coming to power, Donald Trump, the newly elected president of the United States, noted that the inclusion of Ukraine and Georgia in NATO was an inadequate step. By doing so, the West was hinting at its decisions regarding Georgia and that it would eventually abandon it like Ukraine. Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, 2025, no longer thinks about financial assistance to Ukraine or Georgia's membership in NATO.

He is more interested in defending America against China than against a rival like Russia. Besides, the emerging petroleum reserves on the coasts of Syria in the eastern Mediterranean following the fall of the Assad regime seem more luxurious than fiddling with Ukraine’s front for the USA, which seeks every opportunity to eliminate all pro-Iran powers around its proxies.

From another perspective, we can say that although Georgia is not geographically part of the European continent, the European Union brought it closer with a tempting offer. Sweet promises were a veil over the White House's decisions, and the Ukrainian option was increasingly applied to Georgia. However, the timing helped Georgia to achieve results more quickly, and within a few months, the country's alliance with the West was turned upside down.

Now Georgia is facing an even greater test of a time. The threat of the country descending into civil war is looming at any moment, and this is the most dangerous factor that could create a chain reaction of new crises in the region.