List of political parties in Georgia (country)

This is a list of political parties in the country of Georgia.

Georgia has a multi-party system.

Active parties

Major parties

Parties with parliamentary representation

The following parties have representation in the Parliament of Georgia.

Official logo	Name	Ideology	Year founded	Votes in 2024 proportional parliamentary polls	Seats in Parliament	Leader	Note
	Georgian Dream	Social democracy Social conservatism Syncretism	2012	1,120,053 (53.93%)	81 / 150	Irakli Kobakhidze	Founded by Bidzina Ivanishvili to challenge Mikheil Saakashvili's rule in the 2012 parliamentary election; has been the ruling party in Georgia since then. The party supports more centre-left economic approach compared to the United National Movement while maintaining a liberal economic model, balanced foreign policy, and less repressive criminal policy compared to UNM. Over the years, the party's socially conservative positions became more pronounced.
	For Georgia	Reformism Pro-Europeanism	2021	161,521 (7.78%)	11 / 150	Giorgi Gakharia	Formed by former Georgian Dream Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who resigned and left GD in 2021. The party has been critical of both the GD government and the opposition United National Movement.
	Ahali	Social liberalism Atlanticism	2024	Ran in coalition as part of the Coalition for Change.	10 / 150	Nika Gvaramia Nika Melia	A split from the United National Movement, founded by its former chairman Nika Melia after the latter lost his reelection for the chairmanship of the party, along with Nika Gvaramia.
	Lelo for Georgia	Centrism Pro-Europeanism	2019	Ran in coalition as part of Strong Georgia.	9 / 150	Mamuka Khazaradze	Founded by banker Mamuka Khazaradze.
	United National Movement	Euro-Atlanticism Economic liberalism Civic nationalism	2001	Ran in coalition as part of Unity – National Movement.	8 / 150	Levan Khabeishvili	Founded in 2001 by Mikheil Saakashvili as a vehicle for opposition politicians to unite and challenge then-president Eduard Shevardnadze. The 2003 Rose Revolution brought party to the power until its defeat in the 2012 election. Since then, the UNM is the main opposition party. The party supports "tough-on-crime" policy, and strongly opposes any rapprochement towards Russia. Saakashvili is a central figure in the party to this day.
	People's Power	Sovereigntism	2022	Ran candidates with Georgian Dream.	8 / 150	Sozar Subari	Formed by a group of MPs who split from Georgian Dream and accused the EU and USA of trying to pressure and overthrow the Georgian government. Its ideology revolves around "protecting Georgia's sovereignty" from foreign forces and limiting foreign influence. The group proposed a law similar to FARA, which was met by protests and eventually rejected. After initially only being active as a political movement, People's Power was registered as a party in March 2024. It remains a part of the parliamentary majority together with GD.
	Girchi – More Freedom	Right-libertarianism Atlanticism	2020	Ran in coalition as part of the Coalition for Change.	3 / 150	Zurab Girchi Japaridze	A right-libertarian party founded by Zura Japaridze after leaving New Political Center – Girchi.
	Droa	Social liberalism Atlanticism	2021	Ran in coalition as part of the Coalition for Change.	2 / 150	Elene Khoshtaria	A socially liberal party founded by former UNM minister Elene Khoshtaria.
	Strategy Aghmashenebeli	Euro-Atlanticism	2016	Ran in coalition as part of Unity – National Movement.	2 / 150	Giorgi Vashadze	Founded by former UNM government official Giorgi Vashadze as a new beginning for Vashadze's political ambitions.
	Republican Party	Classical liberalism	1978	Ran in coalition as part of the Coalition for Change.	1 / 150	Khatuna Samnidze	Oldest active Georgian political party, founded on liberal principles during the late Soviet period.
	European Georgia – Movement for Liberty	Classical liberalism Atlanticism	2017	Ran in coalition as part of Unity – National Movement.	1 / 150	Giga Bokeria	Founded by former UNM politicians, considered to be more liberal counterpart of the UNM
	Progress and Freedom	Euro-Atlanticism	2020	Ran in coalition as part of Unity – National Movement.	1 / 150	Tsezar Chocheli Kakhaber Okriashvili	Founded by businessman Kakha Okriashvili, who was previously associated with the GD but currently is partner of UNM.
	For the People	Progressivism Pro-Europeanism	2021	Ran in coalition as part of Strong Georgia.	1 / 150	Anna Dolidze	A centre-left party founded by former government official Anna Dolidze, not associated previously with any other party.
	Citizens	Populism Euro-Atlanticism	2020	Ran in coalition as part of Strong Georgia.	1 / 150	Aleko Elisashvili	Founded by activist Aleko Elisashvili, described as populist.
	Freedom Square	Progressivism Pro-Europeanism	2024	Ran in coalition as part of Strong Georgia.	1 / 150	Anna Dolidze	Founded by activist and political scientist Levan Tsutskiridze.
	Conservative Party	National conservatism	2001	Ran candidates with For Georgia.	1 / 150	Zviad Dzidziguri	Led by former Gamsakhurdia ally Zviad Dzidziguri, the party was formerly allied with Georgian Dream, and expresses national conservative views.

The following parties won seats in the 10th Parliament of Georgia but have since then resigned them.

Logo	Name	Ideology	Year founded	Votes in the 2024 parliamentary polls	Leader	Note
	European Socialists	Social democracy Social conservatism	2020	Then part of Alliance of Patriots of Georgia.	Fridon Injia	A group of businessmen that broke from the Alliance of Patriots to establish their own political grouping in parliament. A party has social democratic and conservative views.
	State for the People	Christian democracy	2016	Ran in coalition as part of Strength is in Unity Bloc.	Nato Chkheidze	Founded by Paata Burchuladze as an attempt to bring new faces to politics, generally considered to be unsuccessful project. The party was rebranded since then and currently is in coalition with other opposition parties to remove GD from government.
	Law and Justice	Euro-Atlanticism	2019	Ran in coalition with Strategy Aghmashenebeli.	Tako Charkviani	Founded by former UNM politician Tako Charkviani
	National Democratic Party	Conservatism	1988	421 (0.02%)	Bachuki Kardava	One of the oldest Georgian parties, actively involved in national movement of the late Soviet period, seeking to secure Georgia's independence from the Soviet Union. The party's then-nationalistic and theocratic views have been replaced by more christian democratic positions.
	Victorious Georgia	Militarism	2019	Ran in coalition as part of Strength is in Unity Bloc.	Irakli Okruashvili	Founded by former UNM defence minister Irakli Okruashvili, who supported a military solution to the Ossetia conflict. The party strongly opposes Russian migration to Georgia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the party's leader even suggesting a violent action to curb immigration.
	Regions for Georgia	Regionalism Liberalism Atlanticism	2023	Then a part of European Georgia	Tariel Nakaidze	A party founded by Muslim Georgian MP Tariel Nakaidze, aimed at promoting the political rights of ethnic minorities.

Parties with no parliamentary representation

The following parties have participated in the 2024 parliamentary elections, but failed to gain seats.

Logo	Name	Ideology	Year founded	Seats held in	Leader	Note
	Alliance of Patriots of Georgia	National conservatism Sovereigntism	2012	50,599 (2.44%)	Irma Inashvili	A national-conservative party which is sceptical of Georgia's attempts to join the EU and NATO. The party supports more balanced foreign policy with Russia. It strongly opposes UNM and proposed to ban it on the ground that it ran "criminal regime in Georgia during 2003–2012", namely appealing to documented torture in prisons during the UNM's years. UNM has described APG as "GD's satellite".
	Girchi	Right-libertarianism	2016	62,223 (3.00%)	Iago Khvichia	A right-libertarian party that split from UNM, known for its strong support for legalization of cannabis in Georgia and free market economic policy.
	Georgian Labour Party	Left-wing populism Atlanticism	1995	15,103 (0.73%)	Shalva Natelashvili	Founded by Shalva Natelashvili, one of the oldest but also minor parties
	Change Georgia	Economic populism Liberalism	2020	12,528 (0.60%)	Giorgi Gagnidze
	European Democrats	Pro-Europeanism Abkhaz conflict resolution	2005	7,955 (0.38%)	Paata Davitaia
	Party of Georgian Unity	Georgian nationalism Localism	1990	4,500 (0.22%)	Giorgi Chincharauli
	Free Georgia	Conservatism	2010	4,145 (0.20%)	Kakha Kukava	Founded by former Conservative Party member Kakha Kukava.
	Party of Georgian Unity and Development	Authoritarianism	2020	3,892 (0.19%)	Kamal Muradkhanov
	Sakartvelo	Reformism Georgian nationalism Euroscepticism Caucasian federalism	2016	2,780 (0.13%)	Giorgi Liluashvili
	Chven	Pro-Europeanism	2024	2,593 (0.12%)	Vacant
	Tribuna	Left-wing populism	2020	2,483 (0.12%)	Davit Chichinadze
	Our United Georgia	Reformism	2021	1,845 (0.09%)	Isaki Giorgadze
	Left-Wing Alliance	Left-wing nationalism	2013	1,260 (0.06%)	Konstantine Gugushvili

Small parties

The following parties have no elected official but took part in the 2021 local elections.

Name	Ideology	Year founded	Leader
Mamuli	Reformism Centrism	1993	Teimuraz Bobokhidze
Nation	Populism Atlanticism Centralism	1989	Mirian Mirianashvili
Alliance of Democrats	Localism	2021	Giorgi Buchukuri
SAKHE +	Pro-Europeanism Civic nationalism	2020	Ednar Bagrationi
Free Choice – New Alternative	Pro-Europeanism Socialism	2018	Giorgi Pataridze
Third Way	Socialism	2021	Giorgi Tumanishvili
Snap Elections – United Georgia – Democratic Movement	Conservatism Euroscepticism	2008	Nino Burjanadze
Future Georgia	Socialism	2008	Giorgi Laghidze
Social Justice	Social democracy	2020	Mamuka Tuskadze
Greens Party	Green conservatism	1989	Gia Gachechiladze
Tamaz Mechiauri for United Georgia	Sovereigntism Localism Right-wing populism	2016	Vacant
Reformers	Conservatism	2014	Davit Mirotadze
Whites	Right-wing populism Sovereigntism Christian democracy	2012	Teimuraz Shashiashvili
New Christian-Democrats	Christian democracy	2021	Gogi Tsulaia
Reformer	Reformism Direct democracy Pro-Europeanism Liberalism	2020	Tornike Janashvili
Tavisupleba – Zviad Gamsakhurdias Gza	Georgian nationalism National conservatism Christian democracy State capitalism	2004	Malkhazi Gorgasalidze
Georgian Troupe	Left-wing nationalism	2007	Jondi Baghaturia
Socialist Workers' Party	Communism	1999	Tamaz Japoshvili
People's Party	Conservatism	2006	Alexandre Kobaidze
Georgian Social-Democratic Party	Social democracy	1989	Avtandil Veltauri

The following parties registered but failed ballot access in the 2021 local elections.

Name	Ideology	Year founded	Leader
XX Century	Christian communism	2021	Grigol Oniani
Free Democrats	Classical liberalism Europeanism	2009	Tamar Kekenadze
Green Earth	Eco-socialism	2020	Nugzar Meladze
For Justice	Judicial independence Pro-Europeanism	2019	Eka Beselia
Georgia's Euro-Atlantic Way	Atlanticism	2020	Shorena Gardapkhadze

The following parties have no elected official but took part in the 2020 parliamentary election.

Name	Ideology	Year founded	Leader	2020 results
Zviad's Way (For God, Justice, and Country)	Theocratic authoritarianism	1990	Vacant	1,563 (0.08%)
Social-Democrats for Georgia's Development	Social democracy	2010	Gia Zhorzholiani	4,413 (0.23%)
New Power	Far-right	2020	Lazare Zakariadze	1,458 (0.08%)
Georgian Roots	Georgian nationalism Diaspora repatriation	2020	Tengiz Okropilashvili	1,914 (0.1%)
Political Movement of Veterans of the Armed Forces and Patriots of Georgia	Militarism Atlanticism	2007	Gia Berdzenidze	3,245 (0.17%)
Patriotic Order – Homeland	Localism Sovereigntism	2001	Grigoli Sokhadze	583 (0.03%)
Choice for Homeland	Social democracy	2020	Lela Guledani	536 (0.03%)
National Democratic Movement	State capitalism	2014	Davit Shukakidze	4,850 (0.25%)
Movement for a Free Georgia	Atlanticism	2018	Khatuna Koiava	739 (0.04%)
Georgian Choice	Sovereigntism Social democracy	2020	Bezhan Gunava	2,165 (0.11%)
Our Georgia – Solidarity Alliance	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism	2020	Mariam Jashi	8,335 (0.43%)
Georgian Idea	Monarchism Hard Euroscepticism	2014	Levan Chachua	8,263 (0.43%)
Georgian March	National conservativism Sovereigntism	2017	Sandro Bregadze	4,753 (0.25%)
Progressive Georgia	Progressivism	2020	Irakli Murtskhvaladze	980 (0.05%)
Euro-Atlantic Vector	Atlanticism Reformism	2011	Sergo Javakhidze	424 (0.02%)
Christian-Democratic People's Movement	Christian democracy	2020	Ani Rekhviashvili	334 (0.02%)
Georgia's Development	State capitalism	2020	Ketevan Gogoladze	1,549 (0.08%)
Traditionalists	Georgian nationalism Conservatism Monarchism	1989	Akaki Asatiani	479 (0.02%)
Industry Will Save Georgia	Economic nationalism Protectionism Euroscepticism	1999	Gogi Topadze	1,048 (0.05%)

The following parties registered but failed ballot access in the 2020 parliamentary election.

Name	Ideology	Year founded	Leader
Political League of Georgian Highlanders	Centrism State capitalism Isolationism	1988	Gela Pitskhelauri
Party of Georgian National Unity	Center-left Isolationism	1988	Giorgi Chincharauli
Voice of Mother, Voice of Nation	Socialism Conservatism	2009	Nina Kvesadze
New		2016	Giorgi Lemonjava
National-Christian Party for Georgia	Georgian nationalism Far-right	1999	Davit Khomasuridze
Consolidation Party of Georgian Citizens		1998	Erekle Ivelashvili
Friendship Union, Independence and Prosperity		1998	Shota Mebuke
Georgian Conservative Monarchist Party	Conservatism Monarchism Atlanticism	1989	Temur Zhorzholiani
Christian-Conservative Party	Christian democracy Conservatism	1997	Shota Malashkhia
Union for Protection of the Georgian Pensioners' Right	Socialism	1997	Irakli Natsvlishvili
Unity of Iberians	Georgian nationalism Socialism Pro-Russianism	2019	Giorgi Tsiptauri
Unity of Georgian Nationalists	Georgian nationalism Conservatism	1991	Gaioz Mamaladze

The following parties have not taken part in the last two election cycles but maintain an active organization.

Logo	Name	Ideology	Year founded	Leader
	Greens Party	Green conservatism	1989	Giorgi Gachechiladze
	Rustavel's Path	Georgian nationalism Atlanticism	2023	Akia Barbakadze
	Greens	Green Feminism	2022	Tamar Jakeli
	Ilia Chavchavadze Society	Federalism Georgian nationalism	1987	Tamar Chkheidze
	Unified Communist Party of Georgia	Marxism–Leninism Soviet patriotism	1994	Nugzar Avaliani

Historical parties

Held national offices

The following parties held at least one legislative seat since 1990, but have ceased to exist.

Logo	Party	Ideology	Years active	Note
	Round Table—Free Georgia	Georgian nationalism Sovereignism Pan-Caucasianism	1990–1994	An alliance of Georgian political parties led by Zviad Gamsakhurdia. It played a decisive role in the restoration of independence of Georgia and was a governing coalition in 1990–1992.
	National Forum	Isolationism Parliamentarism Classical radicalism	2006–2017	Radical political party led by Kakha Shartava and in the opposition in 2006–2012. Part of the ruling coalition in 2012–2016. Absorbed by the Development Movement in 2017.
	New Rights	Liberal conservatism Classical radicalism	2001–2019	One of the largest opposition parties, formed in 2001 as the New Conservative Party by uniting the New Faction, New Movement, and Neo-Conservative Union. A member of several opposition blocks, including the 2004 Right Opposition, the 2008 United Opposition, and the 2018 Strength is in Unity. Absorbed by Lelo for Georgia in 2019.
	Christian-Democratic Movement	Christian democracy Social conservatism	2008–2018	Opposition party with seats in the 2008–2012 Parliament. Party has never been disbanded but it has not had any activity since the 2018 presidential election.
	Democratic Union for Revival	Regionalism Socialism	1991–2004	Originally known as the Adjaran Union for the Rebirth of Georgia, one of the largest opposition parties in the 1990s. Held control of the Adjarian Autonomous Republic and led by Aslan Abashidze. Party disbanded when the latter fled Georgia in 2004.
	For a New Georgia	Social democracy	2003–2008	Created during the 2003 parliamentary election to back Eduard Shevardnadze after the collapse of the Citizens' Union. The party ceased to function after the Rose Revolution but kept 19 MPs until 2008.
	Union of Citizens of Georgia	Social democracy Conservatism	1993–2003	Ruling party from 1993 to 2003. Led by President Eduard Shevardnadze. Abolished in 2003 ahead of the parliamentary election and replaced by For a New Georgia.
	Socialist Party	Socialism	1995–2003	Formed as an opposition party and integrated into an alliance with the Democratic Union for Revival during the 1999 parliamentary election. Stopped functioning following the Rose Revolution.
	Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Society	Socialism Social conservatism	1992–2003	Formed as an opposition party and integrated into an alliance with the Democratic Union for Revival during the 1999 parliamentary election. Stopped functioning following the Rose Revolution.
	Georgian Freedom and Unity Movement	Conservatism	1992–2003	Formed as an opposition party and integrated into an alliance with the Democratic Union for Revival during the 1999 parliamentary election. Stopped functioning following the Rose Revolution.
	Union of Reformers and Agrarians	Center-right Pro-Europeanism Federalism	1992–1999	Part of the National Accord electoral bloc in 1995 and won one seat in Parliament. It ceased its activities after failing to win reelection in 1999.
	Union of Sportsmen of Georgia	Centrism	1994–2008	Part of the National Accord electoral bloc in 1995 and won one seat in Parliament. Failed to win reelection in 1999 and ceased its activities after a poor showing in the 2008 parliamentary election. Founded by infamous thief-in-law Otari Kvantrishvili.
	Support	Center-right	1994–1999	Led by State Minister Otar Patsatsia as a party officially supporting Eduard Shevardnadze, though backing more center-right politics than the Citizens' Union.
	Democratic Union of Georgia	Center-left	1991–1998	Founded by several former Soviet dissidents, including Avtandil Margiani and Zurab Tsereteli. Part of the ruling coalition in 1992 and won three seats in the 1995 parliamentary election. Ceased its activities following the 1999 parliamentary election.
	Lemi	Regionalism	1995–1999	Regional party based in Svaneti and chaired by MP Tengiz Gazdeliani, who also served in the ruling coalition since 1992. Gazdeliani was its only elected leader and the party disbanded in 1999.
	Bourgeois-Democratic Party	Center-right	1992–1996	Founded ahead of the 1992 parliamentary election as the political branch of the civil society organization League of Economic and Social Progress of Georgia and joined the Peace Bloc that endorsed the candidacy of Eduard Shevardnadze, winning two seats in Parliament.
	People's Front	Center-right Atlanticism Protectionism	1989–1999	Formed as one of the largest anti-Soviet organizations by Nodar Natadze. Opposed to the presidencies of Zviad Gamsakhurdia and Eduard Shevardnadze. Won 16 seats in the 1992 parliamentary election as part of the "11 October Bloc". Disappeared following the 1999 election.
	Christian-Democratic Union	Center-right Atlanticism	1989–1999	Opposed to the presidency of Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Won 3 seats in the 1992 parliamentary election as part of the opposition "11 October Bloc" but eventually endorsed Eduard Shevardnadze in 1995. Disappeared following the 1999 election.
	Union of Social Justice	Socialism Neutrality	1990–1999	Won 2 seats in the 1992 parliamentary election. Disappeared following the 1999 election.
	Liberal-Democratic National Party	Classical liberalism Atlanticism	1990–1997	Won 14 seats in the 1992 parliamentary election as part of the Unity Bloc, the only party to win seats from that coalition. Originally in opposition to President Eduard Shevardnadze, it endorsed him in the 1995 presidential election and disappeared shortly thereafter.
	Democratic Party	Classical liberalism Pro-Europeanism	1991–1998	Won 10 seats in the 1992 parliamentary election and only one in the 1995 elections. Absorbed by the Socialist Party in 1998.
	Charter-91	Georgian nationalism	1991–2019	Formed as one of the leading members of the Round Table ruling coalition that backed Zviad Gamsakhurdia and continued activities as an opposition party during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze. Won 9 seats in 1992, but failed to win reelection in 1995. The party then became mostly inactive, until its absorption by the Republican Party in 2019.
	Merab Kostava Society	Right-wing Atlanticism	1990–1999	One of Georgia's earlier political parties, originally part of the Round Table – Free Georgia coalition that backed the presidency of Zviad Gamsakhurdia and joined the opposition to President Eduard Shevardnadze. Won 7 seats in the 1992 elections and one seat in 1995. After failing to win any position in 1999, the party ceased all activities.
	National Independence Party	Georgian nationalism Anti-communism	1988–2006	One of Georgia's earlier political parties, founded by dissident Irakli Tsereteli and regularly associated with right-wing, monarchist, and conservative parties. While it won seats in the 1990 and 1992 parliamentary elections, its activities were largely discontinued after 1995. Its leader, Irakli Tsereteli, was arrested in 2006 for supporting guerrilla partisans in the Kodori Valley.
	Union of Farmers of All Georgia	Social democracy Neutrality Monarchism	1987–1999	Won two seats in the 1992 parliamentary election. Ceased all activities after 1999.
	Helsinki Union of Georgia	Georgian nationalism Anti-communism State capitalism Pan-Caucasianism	1976–1993	Oldest political party in post-Soviet Georgia, created as a group of anti-Soviet dissidents by Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Part of the Round Table – Free Georgia electoral alliance that led Georgia to independence in 1991. Lost power as a result of the 1991–1992 coup, after which the party has formally boycotted all electoral activities.

Small, defunct parties

The defunct following parties have not held nationwide offices but received considerable media coverage.

Logo	Name	Ideology	Years active	Leader
	The Way of Georgia	Social democracy Social liberalism	2006–2019	Salome Zurabishvili
	Development Movement	Pro-Europeanism Centrism	2017–2019	Davit Usupashvili
	Party of the Future	Classical liberalism	2008–2012	Giorgi Maisashvili
	Party of Hope	Sovereigntism	2006	Igor Giorgadze Irina Sarishvili

Democratic Republic of Georgia

The following parties were active during the 1918–1921 Democratic Republic of Georgia.

Name	Ideology	Seats in the Constituent Assembly	Results in the 1919 election
Social Democratic Labour Party of Georgia	Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism Menshevism	109 / 130	409,766 (80.96%)
Georgian Socialist-Federalist Revolutionary Party	Federalism Georgian nationalism Democratic socialism	8 / 130	33,721 (6.66%)
National Democratic Party	Classical liberalism Georgian nationalism	8 / 130	30,754 (6.08%)
Socialist-Revolutionary Party of Georgia	Agrarian socialism	5 / 130	21,453 (4.24%)
Radical-Democratic Party of Georgia	Right-wing	0 / 130	3,107 (0.61%)
Armenian Party in Georgia–Dashnaktsitiuni	Armenian nationalism	4 / 130	2,353 (0.46%)
Left Socialist-Federalist Party	Socialism	0 / 130	1,616 (0.32%)
Georgian National Landowners Party	Right-wing	4 / 130	1,532 (0.30%)
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party	Democratic socialism Menshevism	0 / 130	779 (0.15%)
Group of Muslims from Borchalo District	Localism Islamic democracy	0 / 130	77 (0.02%)
National Council of Muslims	Islamic democracy Federalism	0 / 130	60 (0.01%)
Aesthetic League of Patriots	Intelligentsia Social democracy	0 / 130	53 (0.01%)
Shota Rustaveli Group		0 / 130	51 (0.01%)
Democratic Group of Georgian Hellenes	Federalism	0 / 130	14 (0.00%)

Banned or deregistered parties

The following parties are currently banned or deregistered.

• Communist Party of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia – banned in 1991.
• Centrists Party – in 2016. ^[1]
• Conservative Movement – in 2024. ^[2]
• Georgian Idea – in 2024. ^[3]

Political camps based on foreign policy orientation

Civilizational and geostrategic orientations play a significant role in Georgian politics. They often determine political groupings and are more important than economic or socio-political agendas for the parties. Main civilizational and geostrategic debate in Georgia revolves around siding with the West or Russia. Based on their foreign policy orientations, Georgian political parties can be divided into several camps:

• This group of parties supports Euro-Atlanticism and opposes any rapprochement towards Russia. They claim that the West is "civilizational choice" of Georgian people and that Georgia should join the EU and NATO. They view Russia as the biggest, imperialistic threat to Georgia and argue that the only way for Georgia to survive is to join EU and NATO, in other case, they claim that Georgia will be annexed by Russia. They consider that no negotiation with Russia is possible as Russia is imperialistic and its only goal is to subjugate former Soviet Union. Therefore, because of this, they argue that any political position which does not supports uncompromising pro-Western and anti-Russian policy, benefits Russia and is therefore pro-Russian. This group of parties considers all their opponents on foreign policy matters to be pro-Russian, whether they actually support Russia or not. ^[4]

This group includes following parties: United National Movement, For Georgia, Progress and Freedom, Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Lelo for Georgia, European Georgia, Girchi – More Freedom, Droa, Law and Justice, Republican Party, Citizens, State for the People, National Democratic Party, For the People, Victorious Georgia

• This group of parties also shares the view that Russia is the greatest threat to Georgia and considers joining EU and NATO as foreign policy priorities. They also claim that the alignment with the West is civilizational choice of Georgian people. However, they argue that the reality of Russia being the large and powerful neighbor of Georgia can not be ignored and Georgia's foreign policy should be shaped based on this reality. Georgia, as other small states, must play sophisticated games with its large and powerful neighbor to survive in such environment. They often appeal to national interests, claiming that maintaining some ties with Russia, such as economic relations, is beneficial to Georgia because of Russia's proximity and economic resources. Therefore, domestic and foreign policies of Georgia in these areas should be shaped by interests rather than ideological notions. They say that Georgia's policy towards Russia should be pragmatic, flexible and cautious. They usually condemn Russia politically, but have relatively soft rhetoric compared to first group of parties – they claim that too radical and uncompromising policy towards Russia can lead to confrontation with Russia, which will have dire consequences for Georgia. These parties oppose imposing visa regime for Russian citizens, ban on Russian tourists visiting Georgia, banning capital flow from Russia etc. – claiming that such actions don't reflect Georgian interests and will harm Georgian economy and Georgian citizens. These parties fully support Georgia's membership into EU and NATO, but maybe sometimes critical of these organizations when they feel that certain policies contradict Georgia's interests.

This group includes following parties: Georgian Dream, People's Power, Girchi, European Socialists, Social Democrats for the Development of Georgia, Greens Party, Democratic Movement – United Georgia,

• This group of parties, on the other hand, although does not necessarily opposes Georgia's membership in the EU, argues that Georgia should reorient its foreign policy towards building friendly relations with Russia. They claim that the only way Georgia can restore its sovereignty over Abkhazia and South Ossetia is to normalize its relations with Russia. They oppose Georgia's proposed membership in the NATO, saying that it provokes Russia to engage into hostilities with Georgia. This group thinks that successful negotiation with Russia is possible, and often blames the Saakashvili administration for pursuing pro-NATO foreign policy which led to the strained relations with Moscow. They claim that Georgia should be "neutral country", which they think reflects Georgian interests better than pro-NATO foreign orientation. Although this group does not vehemently opposes Georgia's membership in the EU, they do not view it possible in the foreseeable future and oppose certain (mosly liberal) EU policies, which they claim are incompatible with Georgian culture and traditions.

This group includes following parties: Alliance of Patriots, Georgian Troupe, Christian-Democrats, Left-wing alliance, Georgian March, Political Movement of Veterans and Patriots, Industry Will Save Georgia

• This group of parties supports full alignment with Russia and views the West as a primary threat to the country. They support joining Eurasian Economic Union and Collective Security Treaty Organization and claim that allying with Christian Russia is a civilization choice of Georgian people. They support Russian military presence in Georgia and view the West, which they equate with the liberal ideology, which is anti-Christian, pro-LGBT, pro-immigration and cosmopolitan, as the greatest threat to Georgian culture and national identity. They also are skeptical towards Western involvement in Georgia, claiming that the West uses Georgia only for its own purposes to "encircle" Russia and weaken it by provoking its neighbors to wage war with it.

This group includes following parties: Conservative Movement/Alt-Info, Georgian Idea, Unity of Iberians

See also

• List of political parties in Abkhazia
• List of political parties in South Ossetia
• Lists of political parties

References

1. "Party Stripped Of Registration For Georgian Parliamentary Elections Amid 'Pro-Russia' Outcry". Radio Freedom. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
2. "Georgia's Public Registry revokes registration of controversial Conservative Movement". Front News Georgia. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
3. "Georgia's Alt Info to run in elections with Alliance of Patriots". OC Media. 11 June 2024.
4. Silagadze, Givi (2021). Eurosceptic, therefore, Pro-Russian?. Tbilisi, Georgia: Georgian Institute of Politics. Retrieved 15 September 2012.