Georgia is voting in an election that could push it into the EU or Russia’s orbit – Winnipeg Free Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgians head to the polls on Saturday in what many see as a landslide vote on whether to join the European Union.

The election campaign in the South Caucasus country of 3.7 million people has been largely about foreign policy and has been marked by a fierce battle for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.

Some Georgians complained of intimidation and pressure to vote for the ruling Georgian Dream party, while the opposition accused the party of waging a “hybrid war” against its citizens.

Ahead of the election, Bidzina Ivanishvili — the shadowy billionaire who founded Georgian Dream and made his fortune in Russia — again vowed to ban opposition parties if his party wins.

“Georgian Dream” will hold opposition parties to “full responsibility to the full extent of the law” for “war crimes” committed against the people of Georgia, Ivanishvili said at a pro-government rally in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on Wednesday. He did not explain what crimes, in his opinion, were committed by the opposition.

Many Georgians believe that the parliamentary elections can become the most important vote in their lives.

This will determine whether Georgia will return to the path of EU membership, or whether it will embrace authoritarianism and fall into Russia’s orbit.

“These are existential elections,” said Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili.

According to polls, about 80% of Georgians are in favor of joining the EU, and the country’s constitution obliges its leaders to seek membership in this bloc and NATO.

But Brussels suspended Georgia’s bid to join the EU indefinitely after the ruling Georgian Dream party passed a “Russian law” in June that stifles free speech. Many Georgians fear that the party is dragging the country into authoritarianism and killing hopes of joining the EU.

The opposition parties ignored Zurabishvili’s request to unite into a single party, but signed its “charter” on reforms necessary for EU membership.

Zurabishvili told The Associated Press that she believes most Georgians are mobilizing to vote, “despite some cases of intimidation, despite the use of public resources … and the use of financial resources” by the government.

Georgian Dream posted billboards across the country contrasting black-and-white images of destruction in Ukraine with color images of life in Georgia, along with the slogan “Say no to war, choose peace.”

Both Georgian Dream and opposition parties have told voters they will seek membership in the European Union, although laws passed by the ruling party end that hope.

“The EU has decided to stop Georgia’s integration process unilaterally,” said Vakhtang Asanidze, speaking to AP at a pro-government rally in Tbilisi. He said he saw no reason why Georgia could not join the EU despite the laws.

At an EU summit last week, EU leaders said they were “gravely concerned about the actions of the Georgian government”.

While Georgian Dream has passed laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on its critics, voters at the pro-government rally said they did not see the election as a choice between Russia and Europe.

“We remember everything about Russia, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” Latavra Dashniani told the rally, referring to Russia’s occupation of 20 percent of Georgia after a brief war between the two countries in 2008.

A vote for the ruling party, she said, would ensure Georgia’s entry into Europe “with dignity,” alluding to its conservative values, including opposition to the rights of LGBTQ+ people.