"Five minutes to dictatorship": Georgia rapidly turns away from Western course – Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Georgia's ruling party is tightening its grip, which analysts estimate is leading the country towards a one-party dictatorship. Almost all opposition leaders are imprisoned, and the economy is shifting towards Russia and China.
Georgia's ruling party, Georgian Dream, is rapidly consolidating control, which, according to analysts and European diplomats, is leading the country towards a one-party dictatorship and moving it away from its Euro-Atlantic path. Today, almost all major opposition leaders in Georgia are in prison or under criminal prosecution, and the authorities are seeking to ban three main opposition groups. This is stated in a Reuters article, writes UNN.
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This month, the European Union stated that Georgia is a candidate for membership "in name only," and the EU ambassador in Tbilisi noted that the country is no longer on the path to joining the bloc.
Veterans of Georgian politics are shocked by the speed of change. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Sergi Kapanadze said: "We are now five minutes away from a one-party dictatorship."
Critics argue that the founder of Georgian Dream, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, is building a full-fledged authoritarian regime because he does not want to "lose power," which democratization according to EU standards requires.
Meanwhile, Georgia's economy is shifting towards Russia and China: the share of oil imports from Russia has increased from 8% in 2012 to 45% today. In addition, a Chinese company won the contract to build a key deep-water port on the Black Sea, displacing a Western consortium.
The Georgian Dream authorities justify their actions by the need for "stability" and protecting the country from "inciting war" by opposition forces. Opponents, however, call the repressions fabricated.
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