UK Rejects Georgian Dream Accusations of Funding 'Extremism,' Urges Election Monitoring
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, June 19, 2025
The British Embassy in Georgia has firmly denied accusations from the ruling Georgian Dream party that it is financing "propaganda and extremism" through civil society grants, including those related to the upcoming local elections. In a statement released on June 18, the Embassy also called on the Georgian government to invite the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission.
The accusations began on June 11 when Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili claimed on broadcaster Rustavi 2 that the British Embassy was "planning to fund pre-election propaganda" and had "exposed itself in funding extremism" through canceled grants. He specifically criticized support for media outlet Tabula, founded by opposition figure Tamar Chergoleishvili, calling it a "party propaganda newspaper."
Other Georgian Dream officials echoed Papuashvili's claims, following the British Embassy's earlier announcement on June 12 that several civil society and media-related grants had been withdrawn. The Embassy explained the cancellations were linked to Georgia's recently adopted "foreign influence" law, which requires government approval before distributing grants to local organizations, creating legal uncertainty.
The grants were intended to support election transparency and competitiveness ahead of the October 4 local elections. Intended recipients included Tabula, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA), and Georgia's Future Academy, a youth group involved in election observation.
In its latest statement, the Embassy rejected the ruling party's characterization. "We reject its current description of funding 'propaganda and extremism.' Nothing could be further from the truth," it said. The Embassy emphasized that UK-Georgia cooperation is based on a shared commitment to democracy and civil society, referencing the 2019 Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
"The Georgian government itself previously supported this activity," the embassy noted, adding that election-related assistance had long been part of UK efforts in Georgia.
The statement also urged the government to issue an invitation to OSCE/ODIHR to monitor the municipal vote and to implement recommendations from the organization's final report on the 2024 parliamentary elections.
"The hopes and aspirations of the Georgian people are for democracy and freedom," the Embassy said, expressing hope that both UK and European partnerships with Georgia would support those goals.
In response, PM Irakli Kobakhidze repeated claims that the canceled grants were aimed at groups "directly affiliated with the radical opposition," again naming Tabula and Georgia's Future Academy.
When asked about ODIHR participation in the upcoming elections, Kobakhidze stated that such missions are typically not invited for local contests. He acknowledged past exceptions but said observation would now be "unnecessary."
However, ODIHR has monitored Georgia's municipal elections in 2021 and 2017, and received invitations in 2014. Although the 2014 mission was not deployed due to funding issues, Georgia's authorities did issue a formal request at the time.
