[[Irakli Garibashvili]] (2013-2015)
[[Giorgi Kvirikashvili]] (2015-2016)"},"founder":{"wt":"[[Bidzina Ivanishvili]]"},"foundation":{"wt":"21 February 2012"},"dissolution":{"wt":"31 March 2016"},"affiliation1_title":{"wt":"Former constituent parties"},"affiliation1":{"wt":"[[Georgian Dream|Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia]] (GD-DG)
[[Free Democrats (Georgia)|Our Georgia – Free Democrats]] (OG – FD)
[[Republican Party of Georgia]] (RPG)
[[Conservative Party of Georgia]] (CPG)
[[Industry Will Save Georgia]] (IWSG)
[[National Forum (Georgia)|National Forum]] (NF)
'''Supported by:'''
[[Greens Party of Georgia]] (GPG)
[[People's Party (Georgia)|People's Party]] (PP)
[[Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia]] (SDDG) "},"position":{"wt":"[[Syncretic politics|Syncretic]]"},"headquarters":{"wt":"[[Tbilisi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]"},"ideology":{"wt":"[[Big tent]]{{cite news|last1=Lomsadze|first1=Giorgi|title=Georgia: Looking at Post-Election Twists|url=https://eurasianet.org/georgia-looking-at-post-election-twists|publisher=[[Eurasianet]]|date=28 October 2013}}
[[Pro-Europeanism]]{{cite news |title=Georgia: political parties and the EU |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2015/545743/EPRS_ATA(2015)545743_REV1_EN.pdf |agency=European Parliamentary Research Service|quote=If GD and UNM seem to be in opposition over domestic subjects, they are unanimous about EU issues. Georgia's Parliament adopted, on 7 March 2013, a resolution, drafted jointly by GD and UNM, which reiterated the country's commitment to the pro-European and pro-Western foreign policy course. The resolution, passed unanimously by Parliament, states that integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures represents the country's overarching foreign policy priority.}}
'''Factions:'''
[[Liberalism]]{{Cite web |title=Georgian Dream Coalition: Fragile Unity |url=https://jamestown.org/program/georgian-dream-coalition-fragile-unity/ | date=17 January 2013|access-date=6 June 2024 |work=The Jamestown|quote=Two of the coalition members—RP and OGFD—are formally liberal parties, with declared pro-Western foreign policy orientations. RP is led by Speaker of the Parliament David Usupashvili. OGFD is led by Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania. Regardless of their ideological closeness these two parties tried but failed to establish an enduring political coalition in the past (www.interpressnews.ge, June 16, 2010).}}
[[National conservatism]]{{Cite web |title=Georgian Dream Coalition: Fragile Unity |url=https://jamestown.org/program/georgian-dream-coalition-fragile-unity/ | date=17 January 2013|access-date=6 June 2024 |work=The Jamestown|quote=GD also includes the nationalist Conservative Party, led by Zviad Dzidziguri, a former loyalist of the overthrown Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia (1991–1992)}}
[[Social democracy]]{{cite news|author=Eric Lee|title=100 Years On, What’s Left Of Georgian Social Democracy?|date=20 November 2018|url=https://fpc.org.uk/100-years-on-whats-left-of-georgian-social-democracy/|work=[[Foreign Policy Centre]]|url-status=live|quote=Its political system includes a small Social Democratic Party and a Labour Party, with the former having joined the coalition government led by the Georgian Dream, the ruling party.}}{{cite news |title=Prime Minister of Georgia attends congress of Social-Democrats |date=5 June 2013|url=https://www.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=270&info_id=37153|work=Government of Georgia|url-status=live}}
[[Protectionism]]{{cite book |last1=MacFarlane|first1=Neil|last2=Jones|first2=Stephen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sdAMEAAAQBAJ |title=Georgia: From Autocracy to Democracy|date=2020 |publisher=University of Toronto Press|isbn=9781487507855|page=213}}
[[Neutral country|Neutralism]]{{Cite web |title=Georgian Dream Coalition: Fragile Unity |url=https://jamestown.org/program/georgian-dream-coalition-fragile-unity/ | date=17 January 2013|access-date=6 June 2024 |work=The Jamestown|quote=NF opposes Georgia’s NATO membership, advocating neutrality. The coalition’s sixth member, Industry Will Save Georgia (IWSG), led by the beer magnate Gogi Topadze, also resists Georgia’s NATO membership.}}"},"colors":{"wt":"{{Color box|{{party color|Georgian Dream}}|border=darkgray}} [[Blue]] and {{Color box|#FFBF00|border=darkgray}} [[Amber (color)|Amber]]"},"country":{"wt":"Georgia"},"elections_dab1":{"wt":"Elections in Georgia (country)"},"country_dab1":{"wt":"Politics of Georgia (country)"},"parties_dab1":{"wt":"List of political parties in Georgia (country)"}},"i":0}}]}" id="mwCQ">
Georgian Dream ქართული ოცნება | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Abbreviation | GD |
Leader | Bidzina Ivanishvili (2012-2013) Irakli Garibashvili (2013-2015) Giorgi Kvirikashvili (2015-2016) |
Founder | Bidzina Ivanishvili |
Founded | 21 February 2012 |
Dissolved | 31 March 2016 |
Headquarters | Tbilisi, Georgia |
Ideology | Big tent [1] Pro-Europeanism [2] Factions: Liberalism [3] National conservatism [4] Social democracy [5] [6] Protectionism [7] Neutralism [8] |
Political position | Syncretic |
Former constituent parties | Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia (GD-DG) Our Georgia – Free Democrats (OG – FD) Republican Party of Georgia (RPG) Conservative Party of Georgia (CPG) Industry Will Save Georgia (IWSG) National Forum (NF) Supported by: Greens Party of Georgia (GPG) People's Party (PP) Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia (SDDG) |
Colors | Blue and Amber |
Georgian Dream (Georgian :ქართული ოცნება, romanized:kartuli otsneba) was a catch-all political alliance in Georgia formed around Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GD – DG) party in opposition to the then-ruling United National Movement (UNM) party. The coalition was formed in 2012 with it winning the parliamentary election held in the same year. The alliance was dissolved in 2016 after which GD – DG went on to win 2016 and 2020 parliamentary elections independently.
The coalition initially included six political parties of diverse ideological orientations. [9] [10] The parties ranged from pro-market and pro-Western liberals to nationalists and protectionists, united in their dislike of Mikheil Saakashvili and UNM. [11] [12] The alliance was further supported by 3 other parties who while formally not a part of the coalition ran their candidates on Georgian Dream list.
United National Movement led by Mikheil Saakashvili had become increasingly unpopular due to numerous scandals, alleged abuse of power, and controversial economic reforms. [13] The Georgian Dream coalition was founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili on 21 February 2012, as a vehicle for his newly established Georgian Dream movement to unite the opposition and challenge the ruling UNM in the parliamentary election of the same year. [14] [15]
Republican Party, led by David Usupashvili, and Our Georgia – Free Democrats, led by Irakli Alasania, had been outlined by Ivanishvili as his future coalition partners in November 2011. [16] In January 2012, Ivanishvili brokered partnership with the Conservative Party, while the National Forum announced its alliance with GD-DG on 6 February. [17] [18] Moreover, some parties, such as People's Party (PP), Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia (SDDG) and Greens Party of Georgia (GPG), also fielded their candidates on the coalition's ticket without formally joining the coalition. [19] In April, Industry Will Save Georgia also joined the alliance. [20]
On 27 May 2012, in a rally held in downtown Tbilisi with 80,000 participants, Ivanishvili announced the start of the election campaign. [21] The rally was one of the largest public demonstrations in the country's post-independence history. [22] In the subsequent months, rallies were held in other major cities in Georgia, including Kutaisi, Zugdidi, and Gori. [23] [24] [25]
The Georgian Dream's campaign surged after the Gldani prison scandal, which highlighted widespread torture in Georgian prisons under Saakashvili's administration. [26] [27] In response to GD rallies that regularly attracted tens of thousands of people, the government responded by staging a rival mass event. [28] [29]
The Georgian Dream coalition successfully challenged the ruling UNM party in the 2012 parliamentary election. [30] It won this election with 54.97% of the vote, gaining 85 seats in parliament. Out of the 85 seats, GD-DG and the non-coalition parties running on its list got 47 seats, Free Democrats - 11, Republican Party - 9, while Conservative Party, Industry Will Save Georgia, and National Forum each got 6 seats. Out of the 47 MPs elected from GD-DG's ticket, GPG, PP, and SDDG got a seat each. [31]
Widespread celebrations were held in Tbilisi in support of Georgian Dream. The next day, President Saakashvili accepted the results as legitimate, while at the same time noting that he remained deeply opposed to the coalition. [32] Saakashvili pledged to support the constitutional process of forming a new government and peaceful transfer of power. [33]
On 22 October 2012 the Georgian Parliament elected the leader of the Republican Party, Davit Usupashvili as its new speaker. [34] Three days later Ivanishvili was voted in as the country's new prime minister, with 88 votes in favor to 54 against. [35] The most ministries in the 21-member cabinet went to the Georgian Dream party, while the Free Democrats party was represented in the government by four ministers: Tea Tsulukiani as the Minister of Justice, Irakli Alasania as the Minister of Defense and Vice Premier, Alexi Petriashvili as the State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and Kote Surguladze as the State Minister on the Diaspora Issues. The Republican Party was represented by Paata Zakareishvili as the State Minister for Reintegration, while the National Forum was represented by the Davit Darakhvelidze as the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons. [36]
Being a diverse and eclectic coalition, the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority diversified into several parliamentary factions, with each constituent party in the coalition having its own parliamentary group within the majority: "Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia", "Georgian Dream-Republicans", "Georgian Dream-Conservatives", "Georgian Dream-National Forum", "Georgian Dream-Industrialists", and "Georgian Dream-Free Democrats". [37]
Georgia, under Ivanishvili's leadership, retained most of the reforms passed during the UNM government. Georgia maintained the free market economic model, while also establishing a functional social safety net. [38] During Ivanishvili's tenure as the prime minister, the government increased social spending. [39] In 2013, the government increased pensions, social assistance allowances, and education spending. [39] Georgian Dream introduced the Universal Healthcare Program (UHP). [40] The reform made state-sponsored health insurance available on a mass scale. [41] In June 2013, the parliament adopted a new Labour Code in line with International Labour Organization (ILO) standards. [39]
The government implemented prison and crime reform. During the previous administration, that pursued a zero-tolerance policy, the prisoner numbers shot up from 6,000 in 2003 to 24,000 in 2012. The prisons were overcrowded and prisoners were subject to systematic torture. During GD’s rule, the mortality rate in prisons considerably went down and prison healthcare was overhauled. Additionally, the practice of cumulative sentencing was abolished in April 2013. [42]
The government persecuted thirty-five officials who had served under the previous government with criminal charges ranging from embezzlement to abuse of power and torture. Former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili, governor of Kakheti Zurab Tchiaberashvili, and Head of the Penitentiary Department Bacho Akhalaia were among the ones who were arrested. Overall more than 20,000 complaints were filed by citizens and inmates with the Prosecutor's Office in connection to the past administration, including 4,000 cases of alleged torture or ill-treatment. [43]
In December 2012, Parliament passed the Amnesty Bill, which granted either full exemption from punishment or a reduction of prison sentences—by up to one-fourth—to nearly all prisoners, except those covered by other forms of amnesty. 190 inmates were also recognized as the political prisoners. President Saakashvili vetoed the bill. On 28 December, the Parliament overturned the President's vote, for the first time in Georgia's history. President Saakashvili still refused to sign the bill, after which Usupashvili signed the bill into law on 12 January 2013. [44] By March 2013, Georgia's prison population was reduced by half compared to January 2012 with near 8,000 prisoners being released. [45]
Ivanishvili's government took steps to improve relations with Russia. However, since the Georgian Dream coalition opposed the restoration of formal diplomatic and political relations with Russia until the disputes with Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia were resolved, a Georgian diplomat Zurab Abashidze was appointed as a Special Representative of the Georgian government to mend ties outside formal diplomatic relations by meeting periodically with his Russian counterpart Grigory Karasin on neutral ground in Prague. [46] Thus, diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia remained formally broken (a fact resulting from the 2008 August Russo-Georgian war). In December 2012, Russian and Georgian representatives met in Prague and had the first two-way discussions since the war. [47] The "Prague Format" of Russia-Georgia relations was not meant to facilitate the resolution of disputes regarding Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as both sides remained at odds over these issues. [48] Abashidze emphasized that the question of its territorial integrity is Georgia's "red line" on which no concession is conceivable. [49] The Prague Format was rather focused on a pragmatic process on matters of mutual interest that are unrelated to the breakaways, such as economics and humanitarian issues. [48] However, the Georgian government also took steps towards European Union integration, which Ivanishvili described as a foreign policy priority. [50] In February 2013, Tamar Beruchachvili, the Deputy State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Georgia, ruled out joining the Eurasian Economic Union. [51]
For the 2013 presidential election the coalition decided on a common candidate in May 2013, with Ivanishvili presenting Giorgi Margvelashvili, the education minister. [52] In October 2013, Margvelashvili, with Ivanishvili's backing, managed to secure a landslide victory in the election, garnering 62% of votes. Subsequently, Ivanishvili announced his intention to resign as Prime Minister. On 20 November 2013, Ivanishvili resigned as Prime Minister. He was succeeded by Interior Minister Irakli Garibashvili, whom he had announced as his successor on 2 November 2013. [53]
Upon taking office, Garibashvili made no changes to the cabinet. He named Alexandre Tchikaidze, the chief of Tbilisi police department, as his replacement on the post of the Interior Minister. [54] Garibashvili and his cabinet was confirmed with the vote of 93–19. [55] Garibashvili listed economic growth and Georgia's EU and NATO aspiration as his main priorities. [30]
During Garibashvili's tenure, Association Agreement was signed with the European Union on 27 June 2014, with it being fully ratified by Georgia and all EU member states by January 2016. [56] [57] A second agreement about the country's involvement in EU crisis management operations, was also signed. [58]
On 2 May 2014, the Parliament approved an anti-discrimination law. [59] [60] [61] The parliament voted unanimously to pass the bill, with 115 votes in favour and zero against. The adoption of the anti-discrimination law was recommended by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Country Progress Report for Georgia and it became a prerequisite for finalizing the Visa Liberalization Action Plan between Georgia and the European Union. [62]
Georgian Orthodox Church and conservative groups voiced their opposition to the bill, highlighting the part that specified sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for prohibited discrimination, with some conservative activists and priests arguing that the bill would "enshrine perversion" in the Georgian society. In response to the criticism of the anti-discrimination law, Georgian Dream proposed to put a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, despite an existing implicit ban in the Civil Code. [a] Prime Minister Garibashvili stated that the new anti-discrimination law exemplified the "long Georgian tradition of tolerance", however, he also noted that the marriage is a union between a man and a woman. He cited European Union members such as Croatia and Latvia that constitutionally define marriage with the same terms. Garibashvili added that a constitutional amendment was necessary to avoid confusion in the society that the anti-discrimination law granted any new rights or privileges to any group and therefore would lead to same-sex marriage in the future. Prime Minister added that the anti-discrimination law was designed to enable every citizen equally use the rights that are already defined by the legislation. [64]
Major cracks began to appear within the ruling coalition in 2014, with some observers already in January 2013 describing the government as a "fragile unity", predicting it would dissolve either due to disagreements over the distribution of government positions, foreign policy differences, or the receding threat of the United National Movement returning to power. [65] However, some other analysts have questioned the speculations about the coalition's prospective swift disintegration, citing the weakness of the majority of coalition's member parties and their consistent inability to overcome the 5% threshold to make it into the parliament prior to joining their forces with the Georgian Dream party in a coalition in 2012. [66]
People's Party was first to withdraw, doing it so all the way back in February 2013, with Koba Davitashvili, the leader of the party, citing the "elite" making all decisions within the coalition and its inability to act as a united team. [67] Davitashvili only formally remained in the parliament, claiming he was quitting politics with him not participating in parliamentary work. [68] On 19 February 2014, Giorgi Gachechiladze, the only MP representing the Greens party, decided to leave the parliamentary majority and set as an independent, citing Georgian Dream's alleged unwillingness to have his and his party's opinion be heard. [69]
Free Democrats were the next to announce their withdrawal in November 2014 a day after Prime Minister Garibashvili's decision to dismiss Irakli Alasania from his post of Defence Minister. [70] Alasania was replaced by the Georgian Dream candidate Mindia Janelidze and later the Republican Party candidate Tina Khidasheli in May 2015. [71] [72] The Free Democrats' withdrawal led to the emergence of a new opposition faction in the Georgian parliament and a party-switch by several MPs between the ruling coalition and the new Free Democrats faction. [73] While State Minister for European Integration Alexi Petriashvili and Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, Alasania's sister-in-law, announced their resignation, the Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani stated that she would keep the post. [74]
The defection of MPs from the Georgian Dream coalition initially led to it losing the parliamentary majority. However, by 10 November, 12 independent majoritarian MPs, initially elected under UNM but later quitting the party following its defeat in the 2012 election, joined the Georgian Dream coalition, which led to its number of MPs increasing to 87 in the parliament. Thus, as a result of the crisis, Georgian Dream managed to increase its representation in the parliament by four seats. Analysts saw this as unsurprising as those independent MPs were frequently voting along with the Georgian Dream coalition, despite not being official members. Some of these new MPs joined the Georgian Dream coalition as a new faction "Independent Majoritarians-For Strong Regions", while others directly joined the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia faction. The Free Democrats faction emerged with 8 MPs. [37]
In December 2015, the Georgian Dream party member Giorgi Kvirikashvili was nominated by the Georgian Dream coalition as the new Prime Minister after Irakli Garibashvili announced his resignation. Kvirikashvili and his cabinet won the confidence vote with 86-28 votes in the Parliament on 30 December 2015. The only newcomer in the cabinet was Mikheil Janelidze as the Foreign Minister. [75]
Kvirikashvili's government focused on economic growth as well as strengthening relations with the West, with him stating that his goal would be to make Georgian–American relations "a backbone of regional stability, economic development, and democratization". [76] [77] Describing himself as a "more of a centre-right politician", Kvirikashvili focused on attracting foreign investment and presented his vision of Georgia as a "stable democracy" with "open market" and "liberal economy". [78] [79] [80] One of the major reforms during his premiership was the introduction of the "Estonian Tax Model" in May 2016, which taxes a company’s dividends but not its profits. This reform adopted the Estonian approach by exempting all businesses, except those distributing profits, from income tax, thereby encouraging companies to reinvest their earnings by removing the obligation to pay income tax unless dividends are distributed. [81]
In the run-up to the 2016 parliamentary election tensions became visible between coalition parties, with Industry Will Save Georgia and the Republican Party trading accusations at each other. [82] [b] The coalition was divided over the issue with a part siding with Topadze, while others (including some leading members) supported the Republicans and called Topadze's statements "damaging to the coalition's image". [89]
On 31 March 2016, the remaining five constituent parties of the coalition announced that they would run separately in the upcoming election, formally dissolving the coalition, after the Republican Party voiced its intention to run independently in the election. The all of former coalition members expressed a desire to remain within the parliamentary majority until the election, except National Forum which left the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority in April 2016, [90] Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has also confirmed the desire of Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party to run separately in the upcoming election, citing a "different reality" from that of the 2012 election. [83] [91] Despite the pledge to remain within the parliamentary majority, in July 2016 the Republican Party left the majority and renounced two of its three cabinet posts. Their third minister quit the Republican Party and remained in the government. [92]
Kvirikashvili led the Georgian Dream party to a landslide victory in the 2016 parliamentary election, winning a constitutional majority of 115 seats out of 150. In the election, the Conservative Party, Social Democrats and the Green Party ran candidates on the Georgian Dream party list, winning respectively four, three and one seat. [91]
Additionally, Salome Zourabichvili, an independent candidate supported by GD, won in the Mtatsminda district. All other parties previously in the coalition failed to cross the 5% threshold and ended up outside of parliament. Free Democrats had the best showing, getting 4.63%. IWSG was the only party to win a majoritarian district in the second round against GD, with Simon Nozadze winning in the Khashuri district. [91]
Following the election, inside the parliamentary majority "Georgian Dream – Conservatives", "Georgian Dream – Social Democrats", and "Georgian Dream – Greens" factions were established. [93] [94] Additionally, the Georgian Dream – Industrialists faction was established by Nozadze and five other Georgian Dream MPs. [95] [96]
In April 2018, the Social Democrats announced their intention to run independently in the 2020 parliamentary election. [97] In February 2019, the party announced that it was leaving the Georgian Dream majority, with its leader Gia Jorjoliani citing disagreements on economic, agricultural, and pension matters. At the same time, Jorjoliani made it clear that they would be willing to cooperate with all parties, except for the United National Movement and European Georgia. [98] The disassociation with the Georgian Dream party was eventually formalized by March 2019, with some members becoming independent MPs, while Social Democrats leader Jorjoliani and others joined the Alliance of Patriots faction in parliament. Jorjoliani cited general agreement on core issues such as "support for lower classes" and patriotic values as the reason for him joining the faction. [99]
Further cracks in the Georgian Dream majority came to light during the 2019 anti-government protests. The Conservative Party left the Georgian Dream parliamentary majority following disagreements within the government over electoral reform in November 2019. Its leader Zviad Dzidziguri would later negatively assess the period of his party's association with Georgian Dream party, saying that while being a part of the Georgian Dream majority, the party lost the ability to directly communicate with voters and its electoral base. [100]
This configuration left the Greens party the only party that maintained its ties with the Georgian Dream after 2019. However, before the 2020 parliamentary election, the Greens Party announced that they would run independently in the election. Georgian Dream was able to re-create its 2016 performance in the popular vote but lost 25 seats under the amended electoral system, while neither the Greens nor the Conservatives managed to win any seats in parliament on their own. [101]
The Georgian Dream coalition included parties of diverse ideological orientations. [102] [103] The coalition was made up of parties ranging from pro-market and pro-western liberals to nationalists and protectionists, united in their dislike of Saakashvili and the United National Movement. [11] [104] Two of the coalition members — Republican Party and Free Democrats — have described themselves as liberal pro-Western parties. At the same time, some members of the coalition did not support European integration or membership into NATO. National Forum and Industry Will Save Georgia opposed Georgia's NATO membership and advocated neutrality. [65] Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party expressed support for the EU and NATO membership and the coalition in overall supported it. [105]
Georgian Dream's 12-point manifesto included among other policies, the development of liberal democracy, deepening integration with the European Union and NATO, and improvement of education and healthcare infrastructure. [106] The main goals of Georgian Dream were stated to be a revival of agriculture, lowering taxes on the poor, universal health insurance, normalization of relations with Russia and strengthening Georgia's ties to the EU and NATO. [107]
Georgian Dream's style of governance has been characterized as technocratic populism with an "ideology-free" governance strategy transcending the traditional right–left ideological divide through an appeal to the "effective governance" based on expertise garnered outside of politics. Ivanishvili has been described as a central figure maintaining the unity of the coalition through his leadership, with his message to the public being based on utilizing output-oriented expertise as a governance strategy, in particular, the managerial skills he earned as a business leader, promising "effectiveness". [108]
The coalition has often undertaken ideology-free zigzagging, in particular, when it first passed an anti-discrimination law to satisfy the EU's requirements for visa liberalization but later enshrined the traditional definition of marriage in the constitution to satisfy conservative voters. An additional example is the government introducing universal health care but later reverting it to a non-universal system after a significant increase in public expenses. [108]
The Georgian Dream coalition united parties with eclectic fiscal views. The coalition included both economically liberal and social democratic wings. The coalition has introduced a universal healthcare system and a new labor code. Nevertheless, they have committed to "economic openness" and "market-driven growth", implementing both social democratic and neoliberal policies. In addition, the leading Georgian Dream party itself held mixed views on economic issues, with it having a prominent liberal wing despite being a self-described social democratic party. [109] [110]
The coalition's social policy has been described as inconsistent. The coalition passed an anti-discrimination law that provided "protection against discrimination of sexual minorities". However, at the same time, it supported a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The proposed amendment caused a split within the ruling coalition itself, with members of the liberal-leaning Republican Party of Georgia campaigning against the initiative, despite two of its lawmakers putting their signatures on the initiation of the bill. [108] [111]
Similarly, Bidzina Ivanishvili brushed off the proposal to ban abortion in 2013, stating that solving demographic problems "first and foremost needs economic development", despite other leading members of the coalition, such as Irakli Garibashvili, speaking against abortion, describing it as a murder. [112] [113]
The constituent parties of Georgian Dream held divergent views on foreign policy issues. Two constituent members — Republican Party and Free Democrats — positioned themselves as pro-Western parties, while National Forum and the Industry Will Save Georgia officially opposed membership into NATO and supported military neutrality while not rejecting the EU integration. [65]
The coalition's program itself sought to combine the European Union and NATO integration with a balanced foreign policy with Russia. Upon taking office as prime minister in October 2012, Ivanishvili promised to push for Georgia's integration with the West, while at the same time combining it with a bid to restore relations with Russia. [50] [114] One of the means for achieving this, explicitly mentioned in the coalition's programme, was for Georgia "not to be a point of contention between the West and Russia". [115] Ivanishvili explicitly described himself as "being in favor of balance" and for Georgia to be "interesting for everyone". [116]
Ivanishvili has described returning Abkhazia and South Ossetia under Georgia's sovereignty as one of his main goals. The coalition sought to reintegrate South Ossetia and Abkhazia into Georgia diplomatically rather than by military confrontation with Russia. The first step towards de-escalation was mending cultural and economic ties with Russia. Ivanishvili recognized that Georgia lacked leverage for negotiations with Russia, however, he still thought that occupation of Georgian territories was potentially more damaging to Russia itself compared to a peaceful resolution of conflict. As for Abkhazians and Ossetians, Ivanishvili envisaged making various economic, legal, and other incentives for their reintegration into Georgia. [116] [117] [118]
At the same time, while supporting the normalization of relations with Russia, the coalition envisaged Georgia as firmly aligned with the Western world, with the Georgian Dream coalition describing the EU and NATO integration as Georgia's foreign policy priorities. In 2013, Georgia rejected membership to the Eurasian Economic Union, instead signing the association agreement with the European Union. [50] [51] [119]
The six full members of the Georgian Dream coalition.
Party | Main ideology | Leader | |
---|---|---|---|
Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GD-DG) | Populism | Bidzina Ivanishvili | |
Our Georgia – Free Democrats (OG-FD) | Liberalism | Irakli Alasania | |
Republican Party of Georgia (RPG) | Liberalism | Khatuna Samnidze | |
Conservative Party of Georgia (CPG) | National conservatism | Zviad Dzidziguri | |
Industry Will Save Georgia (IWSG) | National conservatism | Gogi Topadze | |
National Forum (NF) | Conservatism | Kakha Shartava |
The three supporting members of the Georgian Dream coalition.
Party | Main ideology | Leader | |
---|---|---|---|
Greens Party of Georgia (GPG) | Green conservatism | Giorgi Gachechiladze | |
People's Party (PP) | Conservatism | Koba Davitashvili | |
Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia (SDDG) | Social democracy | Gia Zhorzholiani |
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Bidzina Ivanishvili | 1,184,612 | 54.97 | 85 / 150 | new | 1st | Government |
Election year | Candidate | Results | |
---|---|---|---|
# of the overall vote | % of the overall vote | ||
2013 | Giorgi Margvelashvili | 1,012,569 | 62.12 (#1) |
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | 719 431 | 50.82 | 1,370 / 2,088 | new | 1st |
Name | From | To |
---|---|---|
Giorgi Margvelashvili | 17 November 2013 | 16 December 2018 |
Name | From | To |
---|---|---|
Bidzina Ivanishvili | 25 October 2012 | 20 November 2013 |
Irakli Gharibashvili | 20 November 2013 | 30 December 2015 |
Giorgi Kvirikashvili | 30 December 2015 | 13 June 2018 |
United National Movement also colloquially known as the Natsebi is a liberal conservative political party in Georgia. Tina Bokuchava serves as the party's chairman, while its honorary chairman Mikheil Saakashvili is considered the de facto leader. UNM's electoral number is 5.
Irakli Alasania is a Georgian politician, soldier and former diplomat who served as the Minister of Defense of Georgia from 2012 to 2014. He was Georgia's Ambassador to the United Nations from September 11, 2006, until December 4, 2008. His previous assignments include Chairman of the Government of Abkhazia(-in-exile) and the President of Georgia's aide in the Georgian-Abkhaz talks. Soon after his resignation, Alasania withdrew into opposition to the Mikheil Saakashvili administration, setting up the Our Georgia – Free Democrats party in July 2009. In 2012 Alasania was appointed Minister of Defense, a position he held until 2014.
David Bakradze is a Georgian politician and diplomat who served as the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia from 7 June 2008 to 21 October 2012.
The Republican Party of Georgia, commonly known as the Republicans, is a political party in Georgia active since 1978. Until March 2016, the party was a part of the Georgian Dream coalition that won the 2012 election, defeating the United National Movement. Currently it is in opposition to Georgian Dream as part of the Coalition for Change coalition.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, also known as Boris Grigoryevich Ivanishvili, is a French-Georgian businessman, politician and billionaire oligarch who made his wealth in Russia. He is widely recognized as the de facto ruler of Georgia. He has been sanctioned by the United States and several European Union countries for undermining Georgian democracy and advancing the interests of the Russian Federation.
Free Democrats, previously known as Our Georgia – Free Democrats is a liberal and pro-Western political party in Georgia. It was founded by Irakli Alasania, Georgia's former envoy to the United Nations, on 16 July 2009. Tamar Kekenadze serves as the party's current chairman.
Gubaz Sanikidze is a Georgian politician, currently serving as a member of the Parliament of Georgia from the United National Movement (UNM) since 2020. A career historian, he was first elected to Georgia's legislature during the 1990 elections that saw the downfall of the Soviet regime, as a member of the conservative Traditionalist Party. Following the Georgian Civil War, his party formed an alliance with the authoritarian leader of Adjara Aslan Abashidze and he was elected to a second term as MP in 1999, during which he became an opponent to President Eduard Shevardnadze. After the rise to power of a new government with the Rose Revolution, he remained in the opposition and lost his seat in 2004, launching with other veteran politicians the National Forum. He briefly served a third term in Parliament in 2008, resigning his seat two weeks after being elected.
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 1 October 2012. The opposition Georgian Dream coalition of billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili won a majority of the seats. President Mikheil Saakashvili conceded his party's defeat.
Presidential elections were held in Georgia on 27 October 2013, the sixth presidential elections since the country's restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The last elections in January 2008 resulted in the re-election of Mikheil Saakashvili for his second and final presidential term. Saakashvili was constitutionally barred from running for a third consecutive term.
Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GD), also colloquially known as the Kotsebi, is a populist political party in Georgia. It is currently the ruling party in Georgia. Irakli Garibashvili serves as the party chairman, while the former chairman Irakli Kobakhidze has served as the prime minister since February 2024. Bidzina Ivanishvili, widely considered the de facto leader of the party, serves as its honorary chairman. The party's electoral number is 41.
Irakli Garibashvili is a Georgian politician and a former business executive who served as the prime minister of Georgia between 22 February 2021 and 29 January 2024. He had previously served as prime minister from 20 November 2013 until his resignation on 30 December 2015. Garibashvili is a member of the Georgian Dream party and has served as the party's chairman since 1 February 2024. He entered politics with his long-time associate Bidzina Ivanishvili, in October 2012.
In 2013, Georgia finalized its first-ever peaceful change of power and transition to a parliamentary republic. The Georgian Dream-dominated government, which came to power after defeating, in October 2012, the United National Movement led by the outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili, promised more democratic reforms. The Georgian Dream candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili won the presidential election in October 2013 and the new constitution significantly reducing the authority of the president in favor of those of the prime minister and government came into effect. In November, the leader of the Georgian Dream, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili announced his withdrawal from politics as promised earlier, and the Parliament of Georgia approved his nominee, Irakli Garibashvili, as the country's new head of government.
Giorgi Margvelashvili is a Georgian academic and politician who was the fourth president of Georgia, in office from 17 November 2013 to 16 December 2018.
Giorgi Kvirikashvili is a Georgian politician who was Prime Minister of Georgia from 30 December 2015 to 13 June 2018. Prior to that he was Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development from 25 October 2012 until 1 September 2015, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1 September 2015 until 30 December 2015, and Deputy Prime Minister from 26 July 2013 until 30 December 2015. Kvirikashvili has led initiatives to advance Euro-Atlantic and European integration and highlight Georgia as an attractive location for foreign investment.
Events in the year 2014 in Georgia.
The following lists events that happened during 2015 in Georgia.
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on 8 October 2016 to elect the 150 members of Parliament. The ruling Georgian Dream coalition, led by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, sought a second term in office. Opposition parties included the former ruling party and main opposition, the United National Movement (UNM); the Free Democrats, formerly a member of the Georgian Dream coalition and led by Irakli Alasania; and the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia.
United National Movement – United Opposition "Strength is in Unity" Faction was a politician coalition and a parliamentary faction in Georgia. It was led by United National Movement, the largest party within the bloc, and additionally included Progress and Freedom and Victorious Georgia parties. It was one of the two factions in the 10th Parliament of Georgia, serving in the opposition to the Georgian Dream government.
The 2019 protests in Georgia, commonly known as Gavrilov's Night, refers to a series of anti-government and snap election-demanding protests in the country of Georgia.
Bachuki Kardava was a Georgian politician, chairman of the National Democratic Party and a member of Parliament from 2020 until his death in 2024. One of Georgia's longest-standing opposition leaders, he was at times opposed to both the presidency of Mikheil Saakashvili and the government of Georgian Dream.
If GD and UNM seem to be in opposition over domestic subjects, they are unanimous about EU issues. Georgia's Parliament adopted, on 7 March 2013, a resolution, drafted jointly by GD and UNM, which reiterated the country's commitment to the pro-European and pro-Western foreign policy course. The resolution, passed unanimously by Parliament, states that integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures represents the country's overarching foreign policy priority.
Two of the coalition members—RP and OGFD—are formally liberal parties, with declared pro-Western foreign policy orientations. RP is led by Speaker of the Parliament David Usupashvili. OGFD is led by Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania. Regardless of their ideological closeness these two parties tried but failed to establish an enduring political coalition in the past (www.interpressnews.ge, June 16, 2010).
GD also includes the nationalist Conservative Party, led by Zviad Dzidziguri, a former loyalist of the overthrown Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia (1991–1992)
Its political system includes a small Social Democratic Party and a Labour Party, with the former having joined the coalition government led by the Georgian Dream, the ruling party.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)NF opposes Georgia's NATO membership, advocating neutrality. The coalition's sixth member, Industry Will Save Georgia (IWSG), led by the beer magnate Gogi Topadze, also resists Georgia's NATO membership.
Irakli Alasania's Our Georgia Free Democrats (OGFD) and the Republican Party, led by brothers David and Levan Berdzenishvili and the husband-and-wife team of Davit Usupashvili and Tina Khidasheli, are two prominent, liberal parties in the coalition with a strong, pro-Western foreign policy orientation. Other members include the nationalist Conservative Party, led by Zviad Dzidziguri, a loyalist of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia; the National Forum (NF), which includes former high-ranking Shevardnadzeera bureaucrats; and the Industrialists. These parties are united in their dislike of Saakashvili and the UNM and have limited political prospects individually.
Irakli Alasania's Our Georgia Free Democrats (OGFD) and the Republican Party, led by brothers David and Levan Berdzenishvili and the husband-and-wife team of Davit Usupashvili and Tina Khidasheli, are two prominent, liberal parties in the coalition with a strong, pro-Western foreign policy orientation. Other members include the nationalist Conservative Party, led by Zviad Dzidziguri, a loyalist of former President Zviad Gamsakhurdia; the National Forum (NF), which includes former high-ranking Shevardnadzeera bureaucrats; and the Industrialists. These parties are united in their dislike of Saakashvili and the UNM and have limited political prospects individually.
Separately, Ivanishvili also committed to pursuing a pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy, but pledged a more pragmatic relationship with Russia.
One should not forget that, despite having a strong liberal wing, GD views itself as a center-left party and is an observer member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament.