The West must stand with Georgia in the fight for democracy
While much of the world’s attention is focused on the battleground state of Georgia, another struggle for democracy is raging 6,000 miles away, in the country of Georgia.
A rich and diverse culture, with educated and ambitious youth, we are strategically located at the crossroads of civilizations. Empires have fought over our lands for centuries. Today, Georgia is one of the most pro-European and pro-American countries in its region. Our moral and intellectual compasses firmly face West, with polls regularly showing that more than 80 percent of the country sees their future as part of the West, NATO and Europe. After all, we experienced the darkness of Soviet times, and have tasted, however flawed our democracy may be, the fruits of freedom.
Tragically, the current government, led by the Georgian Dream party, has chosen a darker path.
Over recent years, the Georgian Dream, elected on a mandate of bringing Georgia closer to Europe and NATO, has turned into a nightmare, turning instead toward Russia, creeping authoritarianism, state-led violence and political harassment.
The most famous move was the government's attempt to legislate a Foreign Agents Law. Dubbed “The Russian Law” due to its Putinesque nature, the legislation was a blatant attempt to clamp down on civil society and the free media. It sparked mass protests and widespread condemnation from the enlightened democracies of the world.
Now the government has officially removed its mask. Last month, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze brazenly announced that, should his party win the election, they would ban a whole swath of opposition parties, essentially declaring a one-party state and a return to Soviet times.
On the current trajectory, we are facing a future wherein a freedom-loving people pining for Jeffersonian democracy receives a government that resembles that of Moscow or Minsk more than Washington or Brussels.
Having personally spent more than 400 days as a political prisoner at the hands of this government, I understand well the very real dangers of such authoritarianism. Our independent media network and my outspoken admonition regarding the ruling party’s affinity for Russia proved too much for them. But my imprisonment, although it serves as a lesson, is merely the canary in the coalmine for our nation.
Georgia Dream’s well-funded election campaign is nothing short of Orwellian. It displays a European flag while cozying up to Russia. Its candidates talk of a bright future while conducting a campaign of pure fear. A vote for the opposition, they say, is a vote for a murky “Global War Party.” These scapegoating conspiracy theories, of course, will not be new to the reader. Indeed, this authoritarian playbook has been well practiced and implemented all around the world.
But not all is gloom and doom.
For whatever dark vision the ruling party has for Georgia, the people have a very different plan. All respected opinion polls show the opposition with a clear majority ahead of the critical elections of Oct. 26. The spirit of the protest movement, which saw a patriotic, proud mass of Georgians take to the streets, is alive and well. There is a real understanding that we are at a crossroads — and that we can take control of our destiny.
To guarantee a brighter European future for the people of Georgia, it is vital for the international community to help guarantee truly free and fair elections, including throughout the campaign period.
Just recently, my colleague in the Coalition for Change, Nika Melia, was physically attacked on the campaign trail. Our regional billboards have been vandalized with dangerous messages of incitement. But the threats in this election are much larger than campaign threats, and they extend up to the ballot box and beyond.
Georgians believe that change is just around the corner. Yet too many fear that this election will be stolen — that it is a fait accompli.
We therefore call on the U.S., the European Union and other freedom-loving democracies of the world to stand with us at this critical juncture. Help us protect the campaign. Help us guard our votes. Help us guarantee a brighter, freer, European future for the people of Georgia, strengthening democracy in the region and dealing yet another defeat to Vladimir Putin and his authoritarian allies.
Nika Gvaramia is a candidate for the Coalition for Change in the upcoming Georgian parliamentary elections, who spent over 400 days in jail as a political prisoner. In June 2023, following his release, he was awarded the CPJ International Press Freedom Award.
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