Georgia’s leading pro-opposition broadcaster, Mtavari TV, has announced it will permanently shut down May 1, a move that strengthens the Georgian Dream Party’s ability to shape news narratives about political and economic developments in the country. Government critics vow to launch a new channel, but recent legislation gives Georgian Dream officials numerous instruments to frustrate opposition plans. 

Mtavari has not produced fresh programming since February, when it halted operations, with top executives claiming it was forced to do so due to a “deliberately triggered financial crisis” by its co-founder, Zaza Okuashvili.

The channel’s top executive, Director General Giorgi Gabunia, has accused Okuashvili of switching sides, abandoning the opposition and joining the incumbents so he can continue to pursue his individual financial interests. 

“There is strong reason to suspect that he is acting in coordination with the illegitimate government, or using this situation as leverage to negotiate with it,” Gabunia claimed, pointing to Okuashvili’s court battle with GD’s founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. 

Nika Gvaramia, another Mtavari co-founder and presently a leading opposition figure, responded to the shutdown announcement on April 28 by defiantly declaring a new opposition broadcaster will be formed.

“Mtavari will close, but a new one will rise,” he said. “It can’t be any other way. I believe it, and I know it.”

For his part, Okuashvili accused Gvaramia and Gabunia of looting the channel and “artificially pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy.” He added that his original intention was to replace the current leadership team; when that proved unfeasible, he opted for closure.

According to the International Republican Institute’s 2023 Opinion Survey, conducted while Mtavari TV was still fully operational, the channel ranked as the second most trusted television station in Georgia. To this day, it retains a strong online readership, with over 1.4 million followers across its social media platforms.

Since declaring victory in a parliamentary election last October that observers say was marred by numerous irregularities, Georgian Dream MPs have moved quickly to adopt legislation designed to cement the party’s control over government and society. Changes include amendments introduced in February that ban television broadcasters from receiving funding from foreign donors. In addition, the Georgian Dream-controlled Communications Commission now enjoys expanded, discretionary powers to regulate mass media, including the ability to impose hefty fines, and suspend, or even revoke broadcasting licenses. 

In this new media environment, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for new media organizations that take a watchdog approach to holding authorities accountable to operate, local observers say.

Transparency International Georgia has warned that the recently adopted legislation is intended to “weaken or completely eliminate independent broadcasting media.”