“In Georgia, people used to go to demonstrations organized by politicians. What we achieved is that now politicians come to the demonstrations organized by people.”
Georgia has recently seen a burst of protest activity around political, cultural, and geopolitical issues. But a new poll highlights how the economy is by far Georgians’ biggest concern.
Thousands of protesters attempted to shut down parliament after the government promised and then reneged on electoral reform. Police removed the demonstrators, but the political crisis seems far from finished.
Georgians again took to the streets after the government backed down on a promise to reform an election system that gives a big leg up to the ruling party.
The Oscar-nominated “And Then We Danced” faced violent opposition from far right groups, and police were forced to guard theaters throughout the weekend.
Political and business leader Bidzina Ivanishvili plans to restore an abandoned Georgian spa resort, where Joseph Stalin used to frolic in radioactive waters, to its former glory.
From openhanded hospitality to fierce blood feuds, centuries-old customs are fading in Svaneti as the remote Caucasus highland becomes a trendy tourism destination.
After the Russian foreign ministry threw them under the bus, Georgian officials were forced to change their story about who initiated a landmark meeting between the two sides.
An embattled banker and promoter of a major East-West transit project is calling on supporters to challenge Georgia’s billionaire leader in next year’s election.
The minimum wage now amounts to only $7 a month, by far the lowest in the region. And Georgia’s business-friendly political consensus is not interested in change.
The Georgian capital has become a stage set for a Hollywood action flick; some joke that the name of the film franchise is just driving as usual in the city.
