MEPs statement on Georgia: open discussion with civil society and media

The Georgian Institute of Politics organized an open discussion between civil society, media and the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on their recent statement on Georgia, on April 7, 2021. The online meeting brought together over 60 participants, including MEPs representing different European ...
Read More

Inter-party Negotiations in a Time of Crisis: What Hinders an Effective Dialogue?

Nino Samkharadze [1] Georgia has faced an unfolding political crisis over the last few months. Despite the active participation of trustworthy international actors, including the President of the European Council in the post-election political dialogue, there are still no signs of consensus and nego...
Read More

The Veiled Influence of Illiberal Groups on Georgian Politics

Nino Gozalishvili[1] [This publication was produced with the financial support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation. The views, opinions and statements expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs only and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foundation. Therefore, th...
Read More

Large parties versus small parties in Georgia: Do party manifestos vary across parties?

Levan Kakhishvili The manifestos of Georgian political parties are often overlooked by researchers. The documents are important because they offer insights into how parties position themselves and to what extent these positions are consistent with their claimed ideologies, however. An analysis of pa...
Read More

Who is (not) populist in Georgia? Making sense of the buzzword

Givi Silagadze Despite its worldwide significance, the usage of the term “populism” globally as well as in the Georgian context seems to be far from unequivocal. The label “populism” might be employed to denote diverse phenomena including demagoguery, careless policies aimed at reaping elect...
Read More

Decreasing level of trust in Georgian political parties: What does it mean for democracy and how to avoid negative consequences?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Trust in political parties in Georgia has dropped from 21 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2017. Although the level of trust has never been particularly high, this trend should raise concern and inspire political parties to act. Political trust is mostly determined by societal be...
Read More

Social Underpinnings of Right-Wing Populism in Georgia

Salome Minesashvili A wave of right-wing, nationalist populism is sweeping the Western world, illustrated by Brexit, the election of US President Donald Trump and the rise of right-wing parties across Europe. Although neither populism nor right-wing movements are new to Georgia, the combination of t...
Read More

Democratic consolidation in Georgia: Why does consensus matter?

Levan Kakhishvili The lack of democratic consolidation in Georgia has become an increasingly important challenge against the background of rising populism and democratic backsliding in Europe and North America. It is widely believed that the European Union’s (EU) policy of conditionality has been ...
Read More

Can a Third Way Movement Emerge in Georgian Politics?

Givi Silagadze* Georgia’s 2016 parliamentary elections were a major coup for the Georgian Dream party (GD), which won 115 of 150 seats (76.67%). It did so despite receiving the support of only 24.37% of voters, revealing two problems that continue to afflict Georgian party politics: a heavily majo...
Read More