Giorgi Gakharia

38 Posts

•

0 Followers

Mamuka Mdinaradze (left), Giorgi Gakharia (right).

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Georgian Dream says party appointed Gakharia prime minister as ‘tribute to foreign spymaster’

by Shota Kincha

•4 min read

Georgian Dream’s Executive Secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze has accused opposition leader Giorgi Gakharia of being a spy, adding that the party appointed him prime minister in 2019 as a tribute to his foreign patrons. Gakharia served as interior minister under Georgian Dream from November 2017 to September 2019, when he was nominated for the prime ministership by party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. He later fell out with the party and resigned in 2021, going on to form his own party, For Georgia.

Lelo chair Mamuka Khazaradze (left) and For Georgia chair Giorgi Gakharia (right).

2024 Georgian Parliamentary Elections

Two major opposition groups fail to unite ahead of Georgian elections

by Shota Kincha

•2 min read

Five weeks before Georgia’s parliamentary elections, the For Georgia party, led by former Georgian Dream member and ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, announced that negotiations to join the Strong Georgia alliance had failed. On 19 September, the opposition For Georgia party reported that the three-day long negotiations to create a unified bloc with the Strong Georgia alliance had faltered. The announcement followed what appeared to be difficult negotiations between For Georgia’s chair, Gi

Giorgi Gakharia. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

Analysis

Datablog | The Gakharia effect

by Givi Silagadze

•3 min read

In February, then Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigned in response to a disagreement within the ruling party regarding the detention of Nika Melia, the leader of the United National Movement. But how did his resignation affect people’s political views? Gakharia was among the most popular leaders from the ruling party and led Georgian Dream during the 2020 Parliamentary elections. Analysis of a February 2021 NDI survey, which was ongoing at the time of Gakharia’s resignation, suggests th

A billboard for Kakha Kaladze near Station Square, Tbilisi. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media.

2021 Georgian Local Elections

Georgians to cast their ballots in crucial test for ruling party

by Shota Kincha

•7 min read

On 2 October, 3.5 million Georgian’s will be eligible to vote to elect members of local councils and mayors of 64 municipalities in a crucial test for the ruling Georgian Dream Party following a series of scandals. Tensions are running high as in their ninth year of rule, this is the first election for Georgian Dream party where they have campaigned with minimal endorsement from their founder and former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili. After retiring from politics for the second and ‘fi

Georgia

As Georgian Dream doubles down on ‘cokehead’ claims, Gakharia goes to the prosecutor

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

The opposition For Georgia party, led by former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, has submitted a complaint to Georgia’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office demanding an investigation into repeated claims that Gakharia, who is the party chair, is a drug addict. According to For Georgia, ruling Georgian Dream party chair Irakli Kobakhidze, who has repeatedly accused Gakharia of being addicted to cocaine, either failed to report a crime to the authorities or has been falsely reporting a crime — bo

For Georgia

Georgia’s opposition groups claim pressure on election candidates

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

Since campaigning for Georgia’s municipal elections began last month, major opposition groups have claimed that the authorities have been pressuring candidates to drop out and their supporters to disengage. On 5 September, opposition group For Georgia claimed that dozens of their candidates had retracted their candidacies for the 2 October local elections as a result of pressure from the authorities. Officials from the ruling Georgian Dream party have dismissed the allegations. On Sunday,

2021 Georgian Local Elections

Who’s who in the Tbilisi Mayoral election

by Shota Kincha

•8 min read

With one month left until the municipal vote in Georgia, a lot of eyes are on the Tbilisi mayoral race where Georgian Dream’s Kakha Kaladze is running for reelection against some of the most prominent opposition leaders in the country. On 2 October, Georgians will vote to choose mayors and leaders of municipal bodies, known as ‘sakrebulo’ of 64 municipalities throughout the country. Major opposition parties have called the election an informal referendum. According to the EU-mediated 19