Date of local elections announced

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili issued an order on Sunday announcing June 15 as the date of the local elections. It means that the official launching of the election campaign has started in Georgia.

Traditionally the local elections do not mean much, but this time they are very important for Georgia, as it will give a clear picture of the configuration of the political forces in the country. Therefore, it will give the real rating of the political forces in Georgia, which are three at present – the Georgian Dream, UNM and the non-parliamentary parties.

The results of elections might create the need for snap parliamentary elections if the Georgian Dream does not receive the same support it did during the parliamentary elections.

Currently, two political forces are represented in the parliament – Georgian Dream coalition and the United National Movement (UNM). Both are satisfied with the situation, whereas the non-parliamentary opposition is trying to enter the legislative body.

Each party has its own challenges. The Georgian Dream coalition has to at least repeat its last performance; the UNM must do the same to remain the second runner, while the non-parliamentary opposition wants to swap ratings with the UNM.

Unfortunately for the country, political rallies sometimes possess a brutal character. It is a regrettable tradition with Georgian elections when confrontations between different forces are so acute that it becomes dangerous for the participants from the both sides.

This was popular during the UNM era and continues today. Wherever the UNM is holding political rallies, people who oppose their policy attack it and sometimes the results are dramatic. The UNM blames the Georgian Dream administration in all this. However, Georgian Dream officials claim that this is not their fault, citing a grudge among the population against the former administration.

These are unpleasant facts that do little to contributing to the development of the political culture in Georgia.

Analyst Ramaz Sakvarelidze stated that the UNM promoted violence against political opponents similar to the soviet traditions. It established the cult of violence while in governance and it does not apologize for that.

Analysts think that this is exactly the background that creates and feeds such violence and physical confrontation. It should be mentioned here that the coalition uses police forces to separate rivaling sides and stop violence.