Major political crisis? Election in Georgia may end in protests, analyst says
Illustrative photo: Analyst predicts post-election protests in Georgia (Getty Images)
Election in Georgia may end with protests. Analysts predict a political crisis, according to the RBC-Ukraine article "Europe or Russia: What to expect from Georgia's parliamentary election and whether revolution possible."
"I think there will be a severe political crisis in Georgia after the election, as there will be two sets of voting results. In one, the Georgian Dream will win, while exit polls from opposition media will show different data. Demonstrations will start, and the outcome will depend on how many people take to the streets and how the government responds," said Wojciech Wojtasiewicz, an analyst on South Caucasus issues at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
This moment will be a resilience test for the opposition. According to Wojtasiewicz, the Georgian government has learned how to handle protests.
"The Georgian Dream knows how to respond to these situations. They avoid the kind of violence the National Movement used but try to make people feel that protests won’t achieve the opposition’s goals," says Wojtasiewicz.
He further notes that it's hard for people to protest for extended periods. This was evident in the spring when Georgians protested against the foreign agents law. There were many participants in the streets of Georgia for one to two weeks, but then they returned home.
Preventing another lull in protests is a separate challenge for opposition forces.
Election in Georgia
On October 26, the parliamentary election will start in Georgia. It will decide the direction the country will move – toward Europe or Russia.
According to opinion polls, the Georgian opposition significantly leads the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party.
More details about the Georgian election and why they are important - in the article on RBC-Ukraine.
