Fear and Intimidation: Georgia’s Tumultuous Path to the Polls

Georgia stands at a crossroads, torn between European integration and authoritarianism, as fear, intimidation, and violence grip the nation ahead of its critical parliamentary election.

Tbilisi, the ancient capital of Georgia, is gripped by a palpable tension. The streets may still hum with the rhythms of daily life, but the air is heavy with anticipation and fear. The country stands on the brink, not just of a crucial parliamentary election, but perhaps of an unraveling of its fragile democracy. The peaceful façade belies a deeper, darker undercurrent that is threatening to spill over into chaos. In the villages bordering Russian-occupied territories, fear takes a different form. Here, people speak in hushed tones about Russian troops just kilometers away, about kidnappings, and about the ever-present anxiety that their government, once a beacon of hope for European integration, may be abandoning them to authoritarianism. The scent of turmoil lingers over Georgia, a signal that this election may not pass without violence

Bidzina Ivanishvili addresses the crowd from behind bulletproof glass, with the Georgian Dream emblem prominently displayed, during the party's rall…