🇬🇪 Georgia on my mind: Parliamentary elections on 26 October

[Storr]

"Georgia could soon introduce tough new rules clamping down on LGBTQ+ rights and barring public celebrations of same-sex relationships, if a new draft bill introduced by the country’s ruling party is passed.

The draft legislation, set out by the governing Georgian Dream party on Monday, aims to prohibit people from changing their gender, as well as outlaw same-sex couples from adopting children.

According to Georgian Dream’s executive chair Mamuka Mdinaradze, Georgia’s constitution should be amended to allow marriage only of “a union of a single genetic male and a single genetic female.”

In an echo of anti-LGBTQ+ “propaganda” laws introduced in Russia and decried by human rights defenders, the proposal would also ban education and public gatherings it describes as popularizing “same-sex family or intimate relationships,” as well as “incest.”

However, Mdinaradze said the move will “protect family values and minors.” He did not rule out that holding a Pride parade or displaying an LGBTQ+ flag could be in violation of the bill."

"The government has recently increased funding to Georgian Orthodox Church. The proposed bill is widely perceived as an attempt by Georgian Dream to appease the influential church and to secure a fourth term in office when the country heads to the polls in October to elect a new parliament."

https://www.politico.eu/article/georgia-ban-change-gender-new-anti-lgbtq-law-tbilisi/

[Storr]

GD announces it will resubmit the Foreign Agents' Law ("Russian Law") to Parliament. This bill caused massive protests last year, with thousands going to the street, with GD ultimately withdrawing it after backlash became too strong, with the party dropping to the 30s in polling. GD now seems very determined to slam it through according to party official statements.

Protests seem likely, not sure to which extent. Either GD is cooking here (pushing it through before Summer break, where Georgia is heading to the Euro Championship in Soccer for the first time, while the opposition remains toothless and divided) or they have been in power for too long, completely misestimating public sentiment.

Speaking of the Georgian soccer team making the European Championship for the first time; this video of team members celebrating their qualification victory is the kind of wholesome content that keeps me from becoming completely cynical:

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaGff/status/1772725936867168559

[Storr]

Today Kobakhidze claimed "opaque" (in other words foreign funded) NGOs tried to organize two revolutions, in 2020-21 and 2022, respectively. I'm sure this will convince the public of the necessity of the foreign agents law. Because Georgia's real enemies are Western liberals, not the country militarily occupying 20% of the nation's territory.

"Let's remind you, in 2020, they falsified "Pivit", they falsified data regarding the fact that there was an 8% redundancy, as if the CEC published the election results late, which was then used by the opposition. It was a pre-planned scenario to organize a revolution. In 2021, they tried it all. They wanted to achieve extraordinary elections, which they failed to do. After that, in 2020, already when we were not granted the candidate status, these NGOs directly went on stage and demanded the resignation of the government. It was already an attempt to implement their revolutionary scenario directly on the stage. Twice these people, opaque NGOs have tried to organize a revolution in this country."

https://www.interpressnews.ge/ka/article/796957-irakli-kobaxize-gaumchvirvale-ngo-ebma-kveqanashi-revoluciis-mocqoba-orjer-scades