Georgia’s Contested Election and the Path Ahead for Georgian Democracy

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili addresses the crowd at a protest outside the Georgian Parliament on October 28, 2024 in Tbilisi, Georgia
Event Date & Time
German Marshall Fund
Location
Online
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8:30am - 9:30am EST

2:30pm - 3:30pm CET

3:30pm - 4:30pm EET

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About this event

Democracy Democratic Decline Domestic Politics and Society Elections Black Sea Caucasus Central and Eastern Europe
Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections were expected to be pivotal, a challenge by a broad yet fragmented opposition to the 12-year reign of the increasingly authoritarian Georgian Dream (GD) party. The official results show GD in the lead with 53.93% of the vote, a divergence of more than 10 percentage points from exit polls. Local and international observers have reported widespread instances of vote-buying, ballot-stuffing, and intimidation of voters, if not violence against them. Opposition parties have rejected the results, and President Salome Zurabishvili has declared them illegitimate and the consequence of Russian intervention. In response, tens of thousands of Georgians have rallied in Tbilisi to protest the official election outcome, while the United States and the EU have urged investigations into irregularities.
 
GMF is bringing together key experts to analyze the results and discuss the path forward for Georgia and its international partners.

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