Party Identity as the Basis for Splinter Party Electoral Success

Teona Zurabashvili  The experience of splinter parties discussed in the memorandum shows that in order to achieve electoral success, splinter parties should form their independent party identity and synchronise it with their main political objectives. If the goal of forming Giorgi Gakharia’s spli...
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Monitoring the Implementation of the Code of Conduct by Political Parties in Georgia

This Document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the GIP and can under no circumstance be regarded as reflecting the position of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affai...
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Power of the Powerless? The Role of Small Parties in Georgian Politics

Nino Samkharadze[1] There is a prevalent view in Georgia that the two major parties – the Georgian Dream and the United National Movement – dictate the political forecast in the country. Regardless, the decision of the small parties to sign Michel’s document and enter parliament showed that du...
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MEPs statement on Georgia: open discussion with civil society and media

The Georgian Institute of Politics organized an open discussion between civil society, media and the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on their recent statement on Georgia, on April 7, 2021. The online meeting brought together over 60 participants, including MEPs representing different European ...
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Inter-party Negotiations in a Time of Crisis: What Hinders an Effective Dialogue?

Nino Samkharadze [1] Georgia has faced an unfolding political crisis over the last few months. Despite the active participation of trustworthy international actors, including the President of the European Council in the post-election political dialogue, there are still no signs of consensus and nego...
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The Veiled Influence of Illiberal Groups on Georgian Politics

Nino Gozalishvili[1] [This publication was produced with the financial support of the Open Society Georgia Foundation. The views, opinions and statements expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs only and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Foundation. Therefore, th...
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Large parties versus small parties in Georgia: Do party manifestos vary across parties?

Levan Kakhishvili The manifestos of Georgian political parties are often overlooked by researchers. The documents are important because they offer insights into how parties position themselves and to what extent these positions are consistent with their claimed ideologies, however. An analysis of pa...
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Who is (not) populist in Georgia? Making sense of the buzzword

Givi Silagadze Despite its worldwide significance, the usage of the term “populism” globally as well as in the Georgian context seems to be far from unequivocal. The label “populism” might be employed to denote diverse phenomena including demagoguery, careless policies aimed at reaping elect...
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Decreasing level of trust in Georgian political parties: What does it mean for democracy and how to avoid negative consequences?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Trust in political parties in Georgia has dropped from 21 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2017. Although the level of trust has never been particularly high, this trend should raise concern and inspire political parties to act. Political trust is mostly determined by societal be...
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Social Underpinnings of Right-Wing Populism in Georgia

Salome Minesashvili A wave of right-wing, nationalist populism is sweeping the Western world, illustrated by Brexit, the election of US President Donald Trump and the rise of right-wing parties across Europe. Although neither populism nor right-wing movements are new to Georgia, the combination of t...
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