About: Saakashvili
Bye bye Misha!
Mikheil Saakashivili, the Georgian leader since 2004, will have to step down following the 27 October presidential election. His legacy divides opinion, but he will be remembered as a dynamic leader who envisioned Georgia as a modern state in the Western world, writes Krzysztof Lisek.
War of letters reveals Georgia’s political tensions
The chairman of the Georgian Parliament has responded strongly to criticism from the European Parliament’s centre-right European People’s Party bloc that Tbilisi’s Prime Minister could "close European doors" by backsliding on democratic reform.
Eastern Partnership talks end with €20 million deal for Georgia
Countries on the EU's eastern border have registered some progress in ongoing talks on visa-free travel to Europe, with Georgia winning a new €20 million EU assistance and reform package.
Georgian minister: EU remains priority despite ‘Russian rapprochement’
Tamar Beruchachvili, Georgia's deputy state minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, told EURACTIV that the country’s new policy towards Russia “would certainly not jeopardise relations with the EU”.
Georgian foreign minister lashes out at EU centre-right party
Georgia's foreign minister has accused several conservative Western politicians, including the leader of the European People’s Party, of being biased against the two-month-old government of Bidzina Ivanishvili.For whom does the bell toll in Georgian politics?
Some political experts say the victory of the Georgian Dream coalition in the recent parliamentary election can lead to the curtailment of reforms introduced by President Mikheil Saakashvili government, writes Lidiya Smola.
Election shakes Georgia’s political landscape
Both the opposition coalition Georgian Dream and the ruling United National Movement (UNM) of President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed victory in the parliamentary elections held yesterday (1 October). Regardless of the final results, the poll appears to mark the end of the single-party rule in the Western-backed nation.Georgia’s prison torture scandal is the tip of the iceberg in the ‘model democracy’
A country famed for its Rose Revolution, Georgia has wound up with a president – a hero in those days – who now declares in Parliament that 'I deserve to rule this country for one generation', writes Tedo Japaridze.Georgia: Old allies become arch-rivals
The campaign leading up to Georgia’s parliamentary elections on 1 October has been unlike any since the 2003 Rose Revolution brought the current cast of characters to power, writes Zaal Anjaparidze.
Political tensions reach new heights ahead of Georgia vote
EXCLUSIVE: In an escalation of rhetoric, civil rights groups accused the Georgian authorities of preparing massive fraud in order to win the 1 October parliamentary election. In response, a Georgian diplomat told EURACTIV that the government had evidence of links between some opposition politicians and organised crime figures in plotting a coup d’état.
Georgian prison abuse shockwave felt in Brussels
Angry protestors marched in the streets of the Georgian capital Tbilisi after TV showed footage of inmates being tortured and sexually assaulted in the country’s prisons. Tensions were felt as far as Brussels where anti- and pro-government lobbying soared ahead of the bitterly contested parliamentary election scheduled for 1 October.
Council of Europe bolsters Georgia’s opposition
Council of Europe representatives expressed concern today (21 August) about complaints from the Georgian Dream opposition coalition that government authorities have seized its bank accounts ahead of the parliamentary elections due on 1 October.Time is running out to set the record straight on Georgia’s opposition
Two months ahead of a critical electoral test in Georgia, time is running out for the international community to guarantee a free and fair election and ensure stability, writes Tedo Japaridze, former Georgian foreign minister.
Saakashvili: ‘One day Russia will head towards the EU’
Georgia remains committed to joining the European Union, said President Mikheil Saakashvili in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV Poland. In a conciliatory gesture towards Moscow, the Georgian leader argued that closer ties between his country and the EU could also pave the way for more integration between Russia and the 27-nation bloc.