Populist politics in Georgia

Georgian politicians from both sides of the political spectrum (if the division in the country can be called so) have used the word ‘populism’ as an accusatory term to insult their opponents. However, populism has always been a part of Georgian politics, even if some might be reluctant to admit it.

While the West is struggling to come to terms with the recent success of right-wing populism, whether it be Brexit in Europe or the Trump presidency in the U.S., populism has been rooted in the Georgian politics ever since the country regained independence in 1991.

Georgian people, time and time again, have placed their hope in populist promises, materialized by the idolized leaders. There can be numerous explanations for this, from terrible socio-economic conditions that saw little to no improvement for decades, to the immature political culture.

Some might argue that populist leaders and discourse are inevitable in a country where political parties and coalitions are created around a single person instead of a political ideology.

Even though populism has no clear and set definition, generally it refers to political stances that highlight the idea of “the people” in the juxtaposition to ‘the elite,’ the term is often used for the political forces that try to appeal to the masses.’

The abovementioned definition of populism, combined with the Messiah complex of Georgian political leaders, creates a solid ground for the spread of populism. People have viewed political leaders like Mikheil Saakashvili and Bidzina Ivanishvili as cure-alls for their problems.

Saakashvili, with the mantle of charisma bestowed upon him, was viewed by the Georgian electorate as the God-sent savior capable of rebuilding a country ravaged by wars and corruption. Which he did, to an extent, however, the initial excitement that the people had for new roads and improved infrastructure paled away in the wake of the abuse of power and problematic human rights conditions created by the darling of the West.

The same scenario occurred with the billionaire Ivanishvili, but instead of charisma, people were compelled by his philanthropic work and money, as if he was going to distribute his personal wealth for his voters. The dream of the better Georgia with the governance of the ‘Georgian Dream’ was also quickly replaced with growing discontent in the society.

While Saakashvili used pretty fountains, new roads, fighting ‘street mentality’ and his personal characteristics to appeal to ‘the people,’ Ivanishvili made promises of increased jobs, lowered fees, and economic growth. Even if the promises were somewhat met by the ‘Georgian Dream,’ the overall situation in the country hasn’t seen much improvement, with the national currency devalued to a historic low and Rustaveli avenue still burdened by the ongoing protests.

On the other hand, there are several far-right populist political forces that are to be taken into account when speaking about populism in Georgia. The opposition party Alliance of Patriots of Georgia (APG) is one of them. The party, known for their anti-Western and nationalistic ideas, cleared the 5% threshold in the 2016 parliamentary elections, obtaining six parliamentary mandates, to everyone’s surprise.

Aside from the political parties that hold far-right ideas, there are several ultranationalistic groups, such as Georgian March, established a few years back, aiming to ‘defend’ Georgia’s national culture and traditions.

Georgian March, with a strong social media presence, organized an anti-immigrant rally in a district of Tbilisi that is popular among Middle-Eastern tourists. Their messages not only target immigrants but liberal drug policy and minority rights. The members of the group were involved in violent accidents against several social activists.

With a recently announced ‘zero’ threshold for the 2020 parliamentary elections, there is a tangible threat of these marginal powers getting mandates in the Georgian Parliament to voice their populist, dangerous ideas from the platform of the legislative body of the government. Hopefully, one day, Georgian political culture will develop to a point where populist promises are no longer relevant, and the concrete ideas and visions, rooted in practice, take their place in the political campaigns.