29 Oct 2020
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  • Dr.Bidzina Lebanidze is the visiting lecturer at Berlin School of Economics and Law, researcher at Free University of Berlin and associated fellow at Kolleg-Forschergruppe โ€œThe Transformative Power of Europeโ€. Since 2014 he has been conducting a research within the FP7 project MAXCAP (Maximizing the integration capacity of the European Union). He obtained his PhD degree in political science from Free University of Berlin, and Masterโ€™s degree in international relations from Tbilisi State University. Previously, he also worked for the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and lectured at Ilia State University

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  • Kornely Kakachia is Professor of Political Science at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia, and Director of Tbilisi based think tank Georgian Institute of Politics. His current research focuses on Georgian domestic and foreign policy, security issues of the wider Black Sea area and comparative party politics. He was a recipient of IREX and OSI fellowships and was a visiting fellow at Harvard Universityโ€™s Black Sea Security program, (2009โ€“2010) Harriman Institute, Columbia University (2011) and The Johns Hopkins Universityโ€™s School of Advanced International Studies. In his capacity as an expert on Georgian Domestic and Foreign policy, Kakachia has appeared on BBC, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times, Le Monde, Figaro, VOA, as well as on Georgian radio and television stations to comment on Georgiaโ€™s foreign policy, regional security and other issues.

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29/10/2020 Bidzina Lebanidze

Can Georgia Deliver Democratic Elections?

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* The Blog is originally published by PONARS Eurasia

(PONARS Eurasia Commentary) Recently, Georgiaโ€™s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), proclaimed its intention to formally apply for EU membership in 2024, against all odds. The statement was made at an important time: just as the Black Sea country heads toward parliamentary elections on October 31, 2020. The democratic quality of the elections will have a significant impact on Georgiaโ€™s European aspirations and its future with the EU and NATO.The elections will also have a significant impact on the political traditions inside the country. A major feature that differentiates Georgiaโ€™s hybrid regime from post-Soviet autocracies is that none of its governments has stayed in power for more than two election cycles (the so-called โ€œten-year-ruleโ€). The current regimeโ€™s political practicality and the weakness of the opposition may unsettle this trend.

The Blog is co-authored by Kornely Kakachia and Bidzina Lebanidze, Georgian Institute of Politics and originally published by PONARS Eurasia. Read more here >>

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Bidzina Lebanidze

Dr.Bidzina Lebanidze is the visiting lecturer at Berlin School of Economics and Law, researcher at Free University of Berlin and associated fellow at Kolleg-Forschergruppe โ€œThe Transformative Power of Europeโ€. Since 2014 he has been conducting a research within the FP7 project MAXCAP (Maximizing the integration capacity of the European Union). He obtained his PhD degree in political science from Free University of Berlin, and Masterโ€™s degree in international relations from Tbilisi State University. Previously, he also worked for the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and lectured at Ilia State University