• Skip to content
  • Skip to footer

STRATPOL

an independent think-tank - transatlantic relations - European security - Eastern Partnership

Main navigation

  • About
    • Staff
    • Contacts
    • Annual Reports
  • Partners
    • InfoSecurity.sk
    • Slovak Security Policy Institute
    • Central European Institute of Asian Studies
  • Publications
    • Panorama
    • STRATPOL Papers
    • STRATPOL Memos
    • Other
      • STRATPOL ViewPoints
      • Krízový špeciál
  • Projects
    • South Caucasus Security Forum
      • 2017
      • 2018
      • 2019
    • Summer University
      • 2018
      • 2017
    • Bezpečnostná akadémia
      • Eseje
    • Disinformation Resilience Dialogue
    • Slovakia in NATO – NATO in Slovakia
      • Events
      • Outputs
    • We Are NATO
    • Strategic Talks
      • South Caucasus, Turkey, Moldova and beyond
      • Hybrid Wars and NATO’s Eastern Flank
      • Critically Thinking Slovakia
      • Turkey, Refugees and Politics
      • Corruption and the Western Balkans
      • Migration policies of V4 countries and France
      • Ukraine and V4 Security Outlines
    • Strategic Dialogues
      • Western Balkan Security Perspectives
      • Battle for and in Ukraine
      • Conflict in Ukraine: Security Implications
    • Resilient Youth Education Project
    • Volebný monitor
    • InfoKompas
  • Bezpečnostná akadémia
    • Eseje
  • Prístup SR k boju s hybridnými hrozbami
  • Digital Infospace Security Initiative
  • Our.Future: Visegrad 2025
    • Activities

21st November 2018

Georgian Presidential Elections 2018: The show must go on

Author: Annamária Kiss

Executive summary

Source: VOA

Due to recent constitutional changes, the 2018 election is the last direct presidential election in Georgia. However, despite limited formal competences, the next president’s political affiliation matters. Even the incumbent president, despite his membership in the governing party, clashed with the government. The first round produced a virtual draw between the government-backed independent Salome Zurabishvili (38.64 per cent) and the main opposition’s candidate Grigol Vashadze (37.78 per cent). Thus, a historically unprecedented second round will be held on 28 November without a clear favourite.

The campaign consisted almost exclusively of personal attacks. The main means to discrediting a political opponent remains the accusation of pro-Russian sentiments or being controlled by Russia. Due to Zurabishvili’s poor performance, the ruling party has begun to frame the second round as a political choice between them and the opposition. This makes the election a ‘referendum’ about the increasingly unpopular governing Georgian Dream party of the billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. However, his dominant role in politics has resulted in ‘Ivanishvili-fatigue’ and a dropping allure of his party. This enabled Vashadze to secure a surprisingly good result, particularly in larger cities.

Georgians now have to choose between Ivanishvili’s candidate, who accused her own country of starting the 2008 war with Russia, and Saakashvili’s old comrade, who flaunts his Soviet diplomatic career. This makes both unacceptable to many. Many Georgians now ask themselves, “Which is the lesser evil?”

Keywords: Georgia, South Caucasus, Presidential election, Zurabishvili, Vashadze, Georgian Dream, United National Movement, Ivanishvili, Saakashvili

Read the full paper here…


Annamária Kiss is a Research Fellow at the Center for European Neighborhood Studies (CENS) at Central European University. Annamária received her B.A. degree in International Relations and her M.A. in Russian Studies, both from the Eötvös Lóránd University. Her primary research interests are Russian politics, the South Caucasus and Islamic radicalisation in Russia. She currently investigates the Russian foreign fighter phenomenon. Prior to joining CENS, she has worked for the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs. She has participated in several research projects in cooperation with other Budapest-based institutions. Annamária regularly guest lectures at the National University of Public Service and Pázmány Péter Catholic University on foreign and security policy of Russia and the South Caucasian countries. Contact: KissA(at)ceu.edu

This policy paper was published by STRATPOL as part of the Young Professionals program 2018. The publication of this paper was made possible thanks to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

Filed Under: News, STRATPOL Policy Papers Tagged With: Georgia, Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili, Presidential election, Saakashvili, South Caucasus, United National Movement, Vashadze, Zurabishvili

Footer

Subscribe to our newsletter:

Contacts

Address: Štúrova 3, 81102 Bratislava, Slovakia
E-mail: office@stratpol.sk
Phone: +421 908 327 491

Copyright © 2023 · STRATPOL · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT