Georgian Political Landscape Sees Escalating Tensions Amidst Legal Actions and Opposition Crackdown
2025年10月27日
Today, October 27, 2025, Georgia's political arena was dominated by escalating tensions and significant legal developments. The ruling Georgian Dream party announced its readiness to submit a constitutional lawsuit aimed at banning several opposition parties, including the National Movement, Coalition for Change, Lelo, and Gakharia for Georgia. This move comes alongside continued arrests of activists and journalists, with reports indicating at least 11 media representatives detained administratively within the last ten days for alleged road blockades during protests. Notably, the Parliament also reversed its recent initiative to create new council positions, a proposal that had drawn widespread criticism.
Several high-profile legal cases captured public attention. Four representatives of the travel company Smile Travel Georgia were arrested on charges of large-scale fraud, allegedly scamming nearly 200 citizens out of approximately 1 million GEL, with potential total damages reaching 3 million GEL. Furthermore, David Tabidze, the former CEO of the Municipal Development Fund, was apprehended on charges of abuse of power. The murder case of young teacher Giga Avaliani saw charges filed against two minors. Meanwhile, the court hearing for Mzia Amaglobeli, whose detention has drawn international concern, including from the European Parliament's Vice-President, was postponed to November 11.
Economically, there were mixed signals. Galt & Taggart projected a positive outlook for the tourism sector, anticipating 4.6 billion USD in revenue this year, with the third quarter already showing a 6.6% increase to 1.7 billion USD. The official exchange rate for the US dollar stood at 2.7152 GEL. A parliamentary committee noted a decrease in business litigation, signaling improved relations between businesses and the state. However, audit reports highlighted concerns in labor safety, indicating a disproportionate workload for labor inspectors and a high number of workplace accidents in the production, construction, and trade sectors. Additionally, an audit of the Agricultural Scientific-Research Center revealed irregularities in bonus allocations and employment practices.
In international news impacting Georgia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterated his criticism of Donald Trump's past sanctions against Russian oil companies, indicating these discussions would continue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refuted Russian claims of occupying the entire Donbas region by October 15, citing a lack of personnel. Internationally, an Italian court approved the extradition of Ukrainian citizen Sergei Kuznetsov to Germany in connection with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline explosion. On a somber note, Lasha Baslandze, a prominent businessman and music producer, passed away at the age of 40, leading to an outpouring of condolences.