Update: Georgia’s Parliament

Turning Point: An Escalation in Georgia’s 2020-2021 Parliamentary Standoff

Since our previous report on the 2020 Georgian parliamentary elections, the Georgian Dream  Party has escalated the electoral standoff to an outright political crisis centered on the successful effort to arrest opposition leader Nika Melia, of the United National Movement’s (UNM). Prior to his ascension to Chairman of UNM in December 2020, Melia was arrested by the Georgian government for his alleged role in organizing and participating in the Gavrilov Night protests, which lasted for five months in response to symbolic pro-Russian encroachments on the sovereignty of the Georgian state and people. He was released on bail under the condition that he wore a monitoring bracelet, which he removed in November 2020 as part of the ongoing boycott by 60 opposition MPs refusing to enter the Georgian Dream-led government, which commands 90 MPs. In response, his bail was increased from 40,000 to 70,000 Georgian Lari (approx. 21,200 USD), which he refused to pay. 

The move incensed members of the Georgian Dream party to suspend immunity for the MP on February 16, 2021 and attempt to execute his arrest. However, Prime Minister Gakharia, a GD politician with greater popular support and a noteworthy degree of autonomy from de facto party strongman Bidzina Ivanishvili, initially resisted these calls as dangerous and likely to result in heightened polarization and overall risk. Nonetheless, his unwillingness to order the arrest of Melia was sufficient for him to abruptly and publicly resign from his post on February 18, forcing his party to rename Ivanishvili ally Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister from 2013 to 2015, as Prime Minister. By a margin of 89 to 2, his leadership and the new government of Georgia was confirmed on February 22. 

On February 23, under the new PM’s orders, the government stormed UNM headquarters and arrested Nika Melia and 20 others, using batons and chemical irritants to bypass supporters defending the area. The move prompted the opposition and thousands of citizens to hold demonstrations hours later calling for his release and snap parliamentary elections. Demonstrations have continued in various forms around Georgia, from parliament to Ivanisvhili’s residence. Georgian Dream insists it is justified in the pre-appeal use of force to detain Melia, to the chagrin of pro-democracy factions in Georgia and Western diplomats. The United States swiftly condemned the arrest as proof of an erosion of progress toward Georgia achieving a functional liberal democracy, with congressmen calling for Melia’s release, some experts suggesting sanctions against Georgian leadership, and the State Department stressing the need of all sides to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the crisis. For its part, the European Union has taken a hands-on approach in bringing Garibashvili to the negotiating table, with European Council President Charles Michel presiding over the renewal of talks between Garibashvili and the opposition on March 1, expected to continue on March 15.

Georgia’s political future now sits at a crossroads. Georgian Dream has made a series of authoritarian steps that would, left unchecked, have the potential to silence dissent on a broad scale and remove domestic impediments to its widely-recognized pro-Russia orientation. However, with the opposition gaining momentum and Georgian Dream reengaging talks, the possibility of resolution and reform also remains on the table. Whatever the outcome of the standoff, these events will be a major test of Western diplomacy in the Eurasia region. 

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Prepared by Michael Robinson on March 3, 2021

References:

Dolbaia, Tina. “Georgia’s 2020 Elections,” December 16, 2020. https://ceres.georgetown.edu/research/student-projects/georgias-2020-elections/. 

“Nika Melia Becomes New UNM Party Chair.” Agenda.ge, December 26, 2020. https://agenda.ge/en/news/2020/4031. 

Genin, Aaron. “Georgian Protests: Tbilis’s Two-Sided Conflict.” The California Review. The California Review, July 25, 2019. https://calrev.org/2019/07/25/russian-impiety-georgian-riots/?v=7516fd43adaa. 

“Georgia Protests: Thousands Storm Parliament over Russian MP’s Speech.” BBC News. BBC, June 21, 2019. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48710042. 

AFP – Agence France Presse. “Georgia Opposition Boycotts New Parliament’s First Session.” Barron’s. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., December 11, 2020. https://www.barrons.com/news/georgia-opposition-boycotts-new-parliament-s-first-session-01607687410. 

“Court Increases Bail for UNM’s Melia, Bans Him from Leaving Country.” Civil.ge. Civil.ge, November 4, 2020. https://civil.ge/archives/380532. 

“Parliament Lifts Nika Melia’s Immunity – 88 in Favor, 2 Against.” Mtavari Channel. Mtavari Channel, February 16, 2021. https://mtavari.tv/en/news/32548-parliament-lifts-nika-melias-immunity-88-favor-2. 

OC Media. “Gakharia Resigns as Georgian PM over Melia Arrest.” OC Media, February 18, 2021. https://oc-media.org/gakharia-resigns-as-prime-minister-of-georgia/. 

RFE/RL’s Georgian Service. “Georgian Dream Lawmakers OK New Government On Sharply Divided Caucasus Landscape.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. RFE/RL, Inc., February 22, 2021. https://www.rferl.org/a/georgian-dream-lawmakers-ok-new-government-on-sharply-divided-caucasus-landscape/31116228.html. 

“Georgia: Police Storm Opposition Headquarters to Arrest Leader Nika Melia.” Amnesty International, February 23, 2021. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/02/georgia-police-storm-opposition-headquarters-to-arrest-leader-nika-melia/. 

Metreveli, Irakli. “Thousands Protest in Georgia After Opposition Leader Arrested.” The Moscow Times. MoscowTimes LLC, February 23, 2021. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/02/23/thousands-protest-in-georgia-after-opposition-leader-arrested-a73036. 

Tétrault-Farber, Gabrielle, and Nick Macfie. “EU Calls on Georgia to Defuse Tension after Opposition Leader Detained.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, March 1, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-georgia-politics-eu/eu-calls-on-georgia-to-defuse-tension-after-opposition-leader-detained-idUSKCN2AT2IY. 

Chkhikvadze, Ani. “Opinion | The West Just Lost Georgia.” The Washington Post. WP Company, February 25, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/25/georgia-tbilisi-melia-arrest-russia/. 

“Risch, Shaheen, Kinzinger, Connolly on Developments in Georgian Political Crisis.” United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, February 23, 2021. https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/ranking/release/risch-shaheen-kinzinger-connolly-on-developments-in-georgian-political-crisis. 

Mackinnon, Amy. “Arrest of Georgia’s Opposition Leader Prompts Call for Sanctions.” Foreign Policy. Foreign Policy, February 23, 2021. https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/23/nika-melia-arrest-georgia-sanctions-protests/. 

Herszenhorn, David M. “Charles Michel Presides over Crisis Talks in Georgia.” POLITICO. POLITICO, March 1, 2021. https://www.politico.eu/article/charles-michel-presides-at-crisis-talks-in-georgia/.