Protests against the rigged elections for parliament continue in Tbilisi’s central areas. Sunday evening, protesters closed traffic at Freedom Square. Later, they marched from Freedom Square to Marjanishvili Bridge while holding EU and Georgian Flags and chanting national anthems. Demonstrators closed both the left and right banks for a while. Our 2024 Election Liveblog provides more updates on election-related events.
In a post on Facebook, the German Embassy in Tbilisi stated that “peaceful Revolution is possible”, citing the fall the Berlin Wall 35 years ago on 9 November 1989. The Embassy emphasized that “freedom is not something that can be taken for granted” even today. The ruling Georgian Dream Party MP Nino Tsilosani replied to a Facebook post from the German embassy, reminding Germany about World War II and highlighting that Georgia was still on the right side even then.
Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgian Prime Minister, attended the Fifth European Political Community Summit in Budapest on November 7, hosted by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. It was the first official visit by the Georgian PM since the October 26th elections, for which the majority of European leaders did no congratulate the ruling Georgian Dream Party, amid allegations that widespread violations were committed.
Zurab Japaridze expressed his opinion in an interview with Formula TV. He is the leader of Girchi-More Freedom Party, a prominent member of the Coalition for Change that won the elections on October 26. He believes several measures should be taken to prevent the Georgian Dream party (GD) from legitimizing the newly formed parliament. He suggested that the measures should culminate with a massive protest rally aimed to stop the GD party from officially establishing themselves and forming the new parliament.
The European Court of Human Rights published its decision in the Bakradze v. Georgia Case on November 7. It found Georgia guilty of violating the Articles of the Convention, and ordered the State to pay EUR 4500 for non-pecuniary damages. The case involves Maia Bakradze. She is a former judge, and the current president of a non-governmental organization called “The Unity of Judges of Georgia.” She appealed to the ECHR in the Bakradze v. Georgia case after two unsuccessful attempts at securing a position at Tbilisi Court of Appeal due to her NGO and her critical statements about Georgia’s judicial system.
The Tbilisi City Court found three more individuals guilty of the homicide of Sergeant Roin Shvadze in 2008. The Head of the Investigation Department at the Adjara Main Department, Constitutional Security Service, and two Special Forces Officers are among the individuals. They were convicted for the deliberate illegal detention and collective murder of Roin Shavadze a veteran from the August 2008 war.
The Data of the Day
According to the National Bank’s latest release, Georgia’s reserves of foreign currency decreased by USD 627m in October 2024. This is a record amount. The four foreign exchange interventions that were made immediately before parliamentary elections marked a significant decrease in the country’s reserve of foreign exchange, which fell from USD 4,71 billion to USD 4,08 billion. This is the largest decline in one month in the history NBG.
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