Time is up for the Georgian Dream and its leader Bidzina Ivanishvili. The party came to power in Georgia in 2012 leading a coalition representing all sorts of different views in Georgian society. They were united in wanted to end the rule of Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement party, which had been a rather negative and oppressive force in Georgia in latter years.
In contrast, the Georgian Dream contested the last elections in early October 2024 with a very narrow political base and a political programme that was actually misleading. Many in Georgia accused the Georgian Dream of rigging the elections of 28 October, and in recent weeks there have been protests in Georgia calling for new fair elections and an investigation into what actually happened around the election period and the election process. The beating up of peaceful demonstrators in the streets of Tbilisi in recent days is an embarrassment to every decent Georgian Dream supporter.
That was bad enough, but what finally broke the government's support was the decision by the Georgian Dream two days ago to end its negotiations with the European Union with a view to Georgia's joining the EU or rather postpone the negotiations with four years.
This created a completely different situation. Because, first of all, EU membership and EU perspective is embedded in the Georgian constitution, so Georgian Dream has no power to actually renounce or delay this mandate. Secondly, for many people it brought up the whole question of future relations with the EU and the West, and in truth no one in Georgia wants to break relations and the decision of the Georgian Dream leaves it isolated and unable to claim the support of the whole society.
Behind all this is the whole process of Georgian Dream's relations with neighbouring Russia. It is very clear that this is not transparent at all and that there is some kind of agreement between Georgian Dream and the Russian government about the future. For most Georgians this is totally unacceptable and while the Georgian Dream may still have some support from people across the country who see it as something good, it doesn't have the support of the vast majority of Georgians in trying to build a new relationship with Russia. There is a pro-Russian force in Georgia, and it's influential, but it's far from the majority of the Georgian people.
So, what is the way forward? The way forward is for a transitional government to take over until new elections can be held. It is important that the current leadership of Georgia, Ivanishvili and those around him, is given a safe exit for the future. The current President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, has a role to play here, as she is the one who will have to ensure that Ivanishvili and his close supporters, who see themselves as the front of the Georgian Dream in the government, are able to leave politics in a good way. This is important in the reality of the Georgian situation, although there will be people in Tbilisi and outside Tbilisi who will be very much against it, but it will be necessary.
The reality is this. Time has run out for the Georgian Dream and for Bidzina Ivanishvili. So, it's in everyone's interest that this chapter of Georgian history be closed in the most honourable and dignified way possible.
