Georgian Dream Set Out to Shape a New Political Spectrum

By Malkhaz Matsaberidze

Monday, February 10, 2025

Georgian Dream has revoked the parliamentary status of 49 opposition MPs from three electoral entities - something these MPs had long been demanding. But the story doesn't end there. A commission has been established to "investigate the crimes" of the government that was in power from 2003 to 2012. Ultimately, the plan is to prosecute the so-called "Collective National Movement" and ban these parties altogether. Meanwhile, with Georgian Dream now alone in parliament, it has already created two opposition parties from within its own ranks.

During the 2024 election campaign, Bidzina Ivanishvili repeatedly emphasized the need to secure a constitutional majority, citing "revitalizing the political spectrum" as one of the key reasons. The goal was to put the so-called "collective National Movement" on trial and replace it with new, "good" political parties.

Despite everything, in the October 2024 parliamentary elections, Ivanishvili's party failed to secure a constitutional majority. The CEC recorded 89 seats for Georgian Dream, while the remaining seats went to four opposition blocs. Accusing the government of electoral fraud, these opposition parties not only refused to take up their mandates but three of them (except for Gakharia's party) demanded the withdrawal of their party lists. Their request was categorically denied - since 100 MPs were required to recognize parliament as legitimate. As a result, with no other option left, the now-isolated Georgian Dream recognized the mandates of all 150 MPs.

For a while, Georgian Dream representatives mockingly claimed that the opposition would soon enter parliament, recalling the events of the 2020 parliament. However, they seemed to forget that back then, Charles Michel played a decisive role in resolving the crisis.

If the opposition were to enter parliament now, it would serve only as political decoration, effectively legitimizing the October 26, 2024 elections. The main demand of both the opposition and ongoing protests is the holding of snap parliamentary elections, a demand that has also been endorsed by the Council of Europe. However, Georgian Dream categorically rules out snap elections and is instead intensifying its wave of repressions.

On February 5, the Georgian Dream-controlled parliament revoked the mandates of 49 opposition MPs from three political alliances:

"Coalition for Change - Gvaramia, Melia, Girchi, Droa" - 19 mandates

"Unity - United National Movement" - 16 mandates

"Strong Georgia - Lelo, For the People, For Freedom!" - 14 mandates

As a result, the 150-member parliament shrank to 101 members.

The only opposition party nominally remaining in parliament is "Gakharia - For Georgia", which won 12 seats in the disputed October 26 elections. However, while this party's representatives do not attend parliamentary sessions, they have also not formally requested the revocation of their mandates.

Georgian Dream justified its move by citing the need to prevent "political sabotage." According to Irakli Kobakhidze, the opposition had not been stripped of their mandates earlier because time had been given not to the "radical opposition" itself, but to their patrons - "the Deep State, the Global War Party." However, these actors did not change their decision to keep the opposition out of parliament.

Opposition leaders now expect a new wave of repression from the government, as the revocation of their parliamentary mandates also strips them of their immunity, allowing the police to arrest them. They fear arrests not only for participating in protests but also for past actions.

Meanwhile, the Georgian Dream's parliament has created a temporary investigative commission tasked with examining the crimes committed by the regime in power from 2004 to 2012 - essentially, the rule of the United National Movement. According to Irakli Kobakhidze, this was a "foreign-controlled, bloody regime" that launched the August 2008 war, violated human rights, and more.

"We need something like the Nuremberg Trials," Kobakhidze declared.

The Georgian Dream has long threatened to organize such a process. The criminal prosecution of the United National Movement and the banning of the so-called collective National Movement" were among Georgian Dream's main promises during the election campaign.

According to this statement, the "collective National Movement" must be prosecuted - a term that now encompasses all pro-Western political forces, including Western-funded NGOs. Gakharia's party will not be spared either, as it is also considered part of this.

"There is no place for the United National Movement in parliament," declared Irakli Kobakhidze.

However, Georgian Dream does not want to be alone in parliament and is trying to create pseudo-opposition forces, which it calls a "healthy opposition". In the 11th convocation of the now one-party parliament, Georgian Dream was once again 'split', with "People's Power" emerging as a separate faction. Meanwhile, alongside the revocation of 49 opposition MPs' mandates, three more MPs left Georgian Dream, announcing the re-establishment of "European Socialists."

In the previous 10th convocation of parliament, both of these groups played a key role in promoting anti-Western narratives. Now, by playing the role of the opposition, these breakaway MPs will create the illusion of a multiparty system, occupy parliamentary opposition quotas, take up positions meant for the opposition, and fill opposition seats in parliamentary delegations.

Georgian Dream is no longer concerned with its international image and no longer cares what the West thinks. However, the ruling party hopes that President Trump will be too preoccupied to impose sanctions and expresses solidarity with the so-called "Deep State" struggle, which it blames for all of Georgia's misfortunes - past and present.

It is clear that the prosecution of pro-Western political forces and the arrests of opposition leaders will trigger stronger Western sanctions. The adoption of repressive laws by Georgian Dream led to a meeting between opposition leaders and the ambassadors of EU member states, attended by Georgia's 5th President, Salome Zourabichvili.

"Today, political life in Georgia has effectively come to an end," declared Zourabichvili. She emphasized that as repression intensifies in Georgia, Western partners must increase pressure on Ivanishvili's Russian-style regime.