As Georgia gears up for a crucial general election this autumn, some worry the country could be at risk of going down the same road into authoritarianism, as its big neighbour Russia. A day before the New Year celebrations, Georgian billionaire and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili formally declared his return to politics for the third time, more than a decade after he established the Georgian Dream party. Ivanishvili, who made his wealth in Russia and is often dubbed the ‘shadow ruler’ of Georgia, is the political pulse of the Georgian Dream, even though he declared he was leaving politics in January 2021. His public interviews clearly show the origins of the Kremlin disinformation narratives that the Georgian Dream has been spreading for years.

Strong Russian links

Russian propaganda and disinformation in Georgia have increased to heights unseen since the ascent of Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream party. Over the years, the influence of far-right groups has grown, as they seek to cast doubt on Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future and advocate for the prospect of amicable relations with Russia instead. Prime examples are Georgian March, a movement formed in 2017, and Alt-Info in 2019: Both pursued intense online activity and violence on the streets, eventually evolving into political parties. Discrediting the West within Georgian society and undermining Georgia’s prospects for European integration are among the primary tools instrumentalised in the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare. This became particularly obvious in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale war with Ukraine and the Georgian government was faced with a choice: whether to support Ukraine or remain pragmatic and maintain the status quo, with appeasement of Russia at its core. In the battle of narratives, the orientation of the Georgian government soon became apparent. Russian information sources and representatives of the Georgian government introduced caution in their support for Ukraine. This was framed as a measure to shield the country from being drawn into a war "orchestrated by the West".

Ghosts of 2008

Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili, who famously blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Ukraine’s determination to become a member of NATO, said the opposition’s activity on the issue of Ukraine is a provocation and an attempt to repeat the tragedy of 2008 when Georgia fought and lost its brief war with Russia. The Georgian Dream mirrored the Kremlin’s narrative that the collective West is trying to shift the confrontation from Ukraine to the Caucasus Region, which is manifested in calls to Tbilisi to open a second front against Russia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway Georgian territories. The comments by Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the Georgian Dream, that more than 10 MEPs are involved in a plan to open a second front in Georgia, were directly aimed at spreading disinformation about the EU and were supported by statements from Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. Fears were also instigated by disinformation narratives claiming that Ukraine was seeking to involve Georgia in the war.  This was often framed as “Ukrainisation” by Gharibashvili and was often followed by further disinformation from him that supplying Ukraine with weapons is not a solution and sanctions against Russia are ineffective. The Georgian government’s political reluctance to implement democratic reforms and its growing hostility towards the West made Brussels think well before granting the country the candidate status last December. 

Hungarian ties

Recently, Hungary has emerged as a partner of Georgia within the EU. Gharibashvili even invited Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Georgia, and himself visited a coalition of conservative political action in Budapest, where they talked about hostile forces attempting to destroy family values in Georgia. This narrative asserts that the majority of Georgia’s population is conservative and that the West, in their view, stands for LGBTQ+ propaganda and measures like the legalisation of gender reassignment procedures for children. The Kremlin has been fostering the notion that the common historical, traditional, and Orthodox Christian values create a close ideological bond between Georgia and Russia. Meanwhile, Western values are being portrayed as inherently opposed to the principles of Orthodox Christianity.

EU path

In December, EU leaders formally granted Georgia EU membership candidate status, with strings attached. In November 2023, the European Commission recommended in its annual enlargement reports opening negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and granting the EU membership candidate status to Georgia on the understanding that nine necessary steps would be addressed. Those steps include the unfulfilled priorities highlighted in 2022 when the country was granted the European perspective. Along with them comes further alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy, addressing disinformation against the EU and its values, and ensuring free, fair, and competitive elections. In the latest EU enlargement report last year, Georgia lagged behind Ukraine and Moldova, primarily due to a lack of alignment with the EU foreign policy and failure to implement comprehensive democratic reforms. In addition, Georgia was notably perceived as vulnerable to the Kremlin’s propaganda, a perception strongly substantiated over the last two years by anti-EU narratives, particularly focusing on the war in Ukraine. The alt-right group Alt-Info assumed a prominent role there, serving as one of the primary instruments in the assault on EU values in Georgia. Alt-Info often links its disinformation to LGBTQI communities and instils fear that closer ties with the EU will erode the identity of Georgians. Beyond LGBTQI issues, they also target broader liberal values referring to political parties, civil society organisations, and activists, who support more liberal values.

Alt-info’s "Maidan" Narrative

In late 2023, Alt-info leaders announced the “anti-Maidan” movement, following a statement by the state security service that certain groups intended to destabilise the country. The alleged plan involved orchestrating civil unrest with the ultimate aim of ousting the government through violence, a narrative referred to as “Ukrainian Maidan” by Georgians in Georgia. Such a destabilising scenario was also discussed by the Georgian Dream. In October 2023, the parliament adopted an amendment to the law on assemblies and manifestations, prohibiting demonstrators from erecting temporary constructions in public places and thereby curbing the rights to protest – which the EU viewed with concern. With Bidzina Ivanishvili’s third formal return to politics, 2024 will be marked by efforts to fortify the Georgian Dream’s position for upcoming elections and shield the oligarch from Western pressure. Despite public attempts to attribute credit for the candidate status to the ruling party, the core rhetoric of the Georgian Dream appears to remain unchanged, as well as its attempts to silence any criticism of the party or Ivanishvili.

 By: Katie Shoshiashvili 

Source: Euractive.com