Jelger Groeneveld

So last year secondary parties in alliances had to de-member their candidates and register them as “non-party” to run on the common list of the lead party of the alliance.

Now GD moves to further restrict options of (informal) alliances and make participation only possible for full party members.

This was already a restriction last year from a more open system where parties could register as “blocs” and field candidates from all parties in that bloc / alliance under their own party banned on the common list. This was abolished per 2024.

So what is the change?

Candidates running in name of a party in local majoritarian districts, for mayor or om party lists (both local and parliament) have to be a member of that party.

Until now candidates not a member of that party could register as a “non-party” candidate.

პარტიებს ადგილობრივ არჩევნებში მერობისა და საკრებულოს მაჟორიტარობის კანდიდატებად მხოლოდ პარტიის წევრების წარდგენის შესაძლებლობა ექნებათ პარტიებს ადგილობრივ არჩევნებში მერობისა და საკრებულოს მაჟორიტარობის კანდიდატებად მხოლოდ პარტიის

Georgian Dream is further restricting the election code for both parliament and local elections - while the next scheduled elections are in 2028. Or is this a prelude to snap elections?
www.interpressnews.ge/ka/article/8...

Lezers maken een uitstekend punt.

The agency was often criticized for its lack of independence. The Georgian government believes it addresses that with the new configuration.

Lately the organization has been involved in targeting NGOs

Anti-Corruption Bureau to Be Abolished in 2026, Audit Office to Absorb Its Functions - Civil Georgia The Anti-Corruption Bureau will be abolished on March 2, 2026, and its functions will be transferred

Georgian government to abolish the anti-corruption agency and will bring its activities under the State Audit Office.

The agency was founded in 2022 as one of the 12-points that Georgia had to fulfil to obtain the EU candidate status.
civil.ge/archives/710...

Erasmus+ suspends funding to Georgian authorities The ban on funding will not affect independent educational institutions, including within the Erasmus+ mobility and cooperation activities.

Georgian authorities excluded from the Erasmus+ programme due to the "ongoing political developments’ in the country".
oc-media.org/erasmus-susp...

Out of an estimated 1 million diaspora members, only 10% registered in the elections last year, and only 1/3 of that actually voted - hardly putting any weight in the scale.

But GD clearly wants to cut off the possibility the diaspora gets more committed to voting - as the vote is against them.

GD to End Voting for Georgians Abroad - Civil Georgia The ruling Georgian Dream party will end voting for Georgians abroad, a move the disputed Parliament

In the daily news of Georgian breakdown of democracy: Georgian Dream moves to end voting for the diaspora.

Which problem does this solve for GD? Hardly any, as the diaspora participation in national elections is very low compared to Moldova, for example.

civil.ge/archives/710...

Georgian political boss insults large portion of electorate with apology offer Ivanishvili finding new ways to divide Georgians.

In the 2024 campaign Georgian Dream vowed to restore the territorial integrity that nobody took very serious, other than that they accused GD of opening the door to make a deal with Moscow.

Later Ivanishvili said to apologize to South Ossetians for 2008 war.
eurasianet.org/georgian-pol...

The initiative that provides for the abolition of the temporary administrative-territorial unit and its administration on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District has been initia... The initiative that envisages abolishing the temporary administrative-territorial unit and its administration on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous District has been submitted to Pa...

English article on the bill that has been initiated to abolish the administration.

The aim of this is not yet very clear, other than undoing what the Saakashvili government did (for that they did not need to wait 13 years).

www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/1...

Under Soviet rule, the region was an autonomous region (oblast), which the Georgian Soviet government abolished in December 1990 after the South Ossetians declared their own Soviet republic and attempted to step out of the Georgian soviet republic. It was the run-up to the war, starting in Jan-1991.

"There is no such thing as 'South Ossetia' in 🇬🇪 legal or political space. Accordingly, as result of consultations with the government, we have made a decision to abolish the administration of the administrative-territorial unit created on the territory of the former South Ossetian Autonomous Region"

Georgian Dream now decided to abolish the body, considering it illegally established with provocative intentions. Also after ruling for 13 years GD decided to consider the name with "South Ossetia" in violation of the "non-recognition" policy. Georgia refers to the region is "Tskhinvali region"

The elected Dmitri Sanakoev maintained this position until 2022. As result of the 2008 war, the administration had to relocated to Tbilisi and administered the interests of the internal refugees of the war, who were living in various IDP settlements throughout the country, most notably Tserovani.

In 2006 Georgia organized leadership elections, in the same day as the South Ossetian separatist government did to elect their president. This infuriated the South Ossetians obviously. A referendum was also held in which participating voters voted in favor of a peaceful resolution within Georgia.

The body administered the "Temporary Administrative-Territorial Unit on the Territory of the Former Autonomous Region of South Ossetia", which comprised of Akhalgori municipality and the in 2006 established "temporary municipalities" Eredvi, Kurta and Tigva, with its center in the village Kurta.

This could be seen coming, upon reading the report of the Tsulukiani Commission, which concluded the body was illegally established and according to the commission contributed to the provocation and resumption of the armed conflict.

„ოცნება“ სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქის დროებით ადმინისტრაციას აუქმებს საპარლამენტო უმრავლესობა ყოფილი სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური ოლქის ტერიტორიაზე 2007 წელს შექმნილი დროე...

Georgian Dream to abolish the so-called South Ossetian Administration, the temporary administration that was established in 2006-2007 by the Saakashvili government to administer the territories in "South Ossetia" which were still under Georgian control at the time.
bm.ge/news/otsneba...

The railway line originally opened in the early 1900s, when the Russian empire rapidly expanded its railway network deep into this area.

For Iran this would be a preferred north-south route as opposed to the Caspian coast corridor which has seen years of problems in the implementation.

With all the talk of unlocking decades long closed railway and road connections between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Iran is warming up to the idea to reopen the decades long closed Julfa - Yerevan connection through Nakhchivan, to unlock access to the Black Sea ports.
transcor.ge/%e1%83%96%e1...

Pragmatisch, wars van ‘incidentenpolitiek’. Nu vertrekt Hans Wijers zelf na ophef rondom uitspraken over VVD-leider Yesilgöz Als politicus opereerde Hans Wijers als de ultieme consultant: problemen in kaart brengen, langs grote lijnen oplossingen verzinnen en weer vertrekken. Ook hekelde hij ‘politiek met een kleine p', die...

Privé appjes zijn niet (meer) veilig. Zo maken het NRC en de Telegraaf duidelijk.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/...

Last week a new case was filed: he was charged with calling from prison for a revolution and the overthrow of the government, for which he can get a few years sentence.

They are adding cases to keep him locked up in prison. Also from the Tsulukiani Commission a lawsuit may be expected.

He currently serves multiple concurrent sentences until 2032, with one case pending a verdict: the dismissal of protests of 7 Nov 2007. It’s likely the court waits with that till they can extend his sentence. Most sentences are concurrent with the longest being leading.

Saakashvili was put in the medical facility as result of his condition due to a 50-day hunger strike after his arrest in October 2021.

In the facility he had two rooms: a living room and a separate bedroom. The Georgian authorities already suggested earlier this year to move him to a regular cell.

მიხეილ სააკაშვილი ვივამედიდან ციხეში დააბრუნეს პენიტენციური სამსახური ავრცელებს ინფორმაციას საქართველოს მესამე პრეზიდენტის, პატიმარ მიხეილ სააკაშვილის კლინიკიდან ციხეში დაბრუნების შესახებ. როგორც იწყების მიერ 12 ნოემბერს, 20:26 წუთზე გავრცელებული ...

After more than three years, Georgian authorities have relocated former president Saakashvili from the Vivamed medical penitentiary facilitaty to a regular prison. They said his medical condition does not justify a longer stay in Vivamed.
www.radiotavisupleba.ge/a/33588543.h...

Binnenlands in Rusland wordt de markt gedomineerd door concurrent Rosneft. Er is dan ook nu sprake van dat het bedrijf mogelijk overgenomen wordt door Rosneft.

Lukoil in crisis after US blocks deal with ‘Kremlin’s puppet’ Washington’s move to prevent oil trader Gunvor from buying Russian group’s assets revives prospect of Rosneft power grab

Als gevolg van de sancties tegen Lukoil is het bedrijf in grote moeilijkheden gekomen, dat was al wel duidelijk. Het bedrijf is genoodzaakt zijn internationale activiteiten zo goed als geheel af te stoten, waaronder ook de Nederlands geregistreerde onderdelen.
www.ft.com/content/73ac...

The case we all could see coming, given the interrogation by the Tsulukiani Commission earlier this year.