Georgia: disputed election of new president
Former professional footballer and far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili has been appointed as Georgia's new president thanks to the parliamentary majority of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The main opposition parties boycotted the vote on the basis that the parliamentary elections in October were rigged and are refusing to recognise the result. Europe's press comments.
Greetings from Putin
The Georgian Dream (KO) is maintaining its grip on power, die taz concludes:
“So any minute now, Georgia could be ruled by a man who will shamelessly play the bad guy in the KO's characteristically undiplomatic style and will do its dirty work to boot: ranting against the West and minorities such as LGBTQ+ community representatives, and wildly insulting the thousands of protesters who, he claims, are brainless and being paid from abroad. Kavelashvili will undoubtedly do his bit for the fight against 'liberal fascism' - an obscure term much beloved by members of the KO.”
Will the protests fizzle out or explode?
Georgia's future is on a knife's edge, The Economist notes:
“Another flashpoint could come on December 29th, when Salome Zourabichvili, the outgoing president, is required by law to step down. The French-born Ms Zourabichvili, a firm pro-European, says she will refuse to go because the parliament that chose her successor was illegitimately elected. She is standing with the protesters. But Ms Zourabichvili is 72 years old, and more of a figurehead than a leader. If the government can selectively intimidate members of the opposition while letting popular anger dissipate, the protests may fizzle over the holidays. If it makes a misstep, they may yet explode.”
Hour of truth for the opposition
Latvijas Avīze analyses the protests in Georgia and draws parallels with the events of 2020 in Belarus:
“A similar failed-revolution scenario seems to be playing out in Georgia now. ... Several hundred members of the opposition, among them a few opposition leaders, have already been arrested, highlighting the helplessness of the opposition. None of the opposition politicians is assuming ideological and political leadership for the protests. ... Now is the last chance for the Georgian opposition to jump on the departing European train. ... But to do so requires the opposition to take a truly courageous step: it must force the government's security personnel to turn tail, occupy the parliament and government buildings and form a new transitional government!”
EU inaction would be irresponsible
In an opinion piece for Le Monde, members of European think tanks collectively call on the EU:
“If the EU does not act more decisively it will lose its credibility in the region, which will have consequences for Ukraine, Moldavia and Armenia as well as for its position in the world as a whole. It will send signals to the Kremlin and other authoritarian regimes, inciting them to yet more violence, electoral manipulation and authoritarianism. The lack of consensus within the EU, especially when it is blocked by a single authoritarian member state, namely Hungary, can be no excuse for inaction. The EU and its member states must act before it's too late.”