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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 2h

They were cited as "western observers" or "international observer from country X", without specifying which organization they represented, leaving an impression of legitimacy by using "western" or the country as if they represented that country [which they didn't].

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 2h

Others were not able to monitor as well, and domestic NGOs boycotted to observe what they considered "sham elections".

Serbian, Slovakian and Hungarian NGOs sent observers. Georgian pro-government media outlets cited a few dozen of them, who made exclusively positive assessments.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 2h

As expected, concept of "fake observers" to legitimize elections in autocratically governed countries has arrived in Georgia. @shekhovtsov.substack.com

The OSCE-ODIHR wasn't able to observe due to initial refusal by 🇬🇪 to invite and then (too) late invitation.
www.ekhokavkaza.com/a/feykovye-n...

Кто наблюдал за муниципальными выборами в Грузии?

Международные наблюдатели или имитация контроля?

www.ekhokavkaza.com

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 2h

Het Europese Hof voor de Rechten van de Mens veroordeelt Rusland vanwege verzaking van onderzoek naar de dood van de Nederlandse cameraman Stan Storimans in het Georgische Gori tijdens de Russisch-Georgische oorlog in 2008.
@jeroenakkermans.bsky.social
civil.ge/archives/705...

ECtHR Finds Russia in Violation for Failing to Investigate Dutch Journalist’s Death in 2008 War - Civil Georgia

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Russia violated the procedural aspect of A

civil.ge

Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 3h

With elections coming up in my own country and democracy in Georgia winding down, my timeline will likely be more Dutch focused in the upcoming weeks.

That's not to say I won't pay attention to Georgia. It's still SOS. The outlook is very grim.

📸 - by myself on 28-10-2024

Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 7h

Obviously this provoked a counter response of the German ambassador in Tbilisi:

“Germany opposes the use of terms and comparisons related to Nazi Germany, which are historically, politically and morally incorrect, because they belittle the victims and lead to false conclusions”.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 7h

Georgian PM at it again. Accuses western actors of backing the “attempt to overthrow the government” last Saturday, calls them hypocrites for not calling out against those alleged perpetrators, and accuses EU of Goebbels-style propaganda.

civil.ge/archives/705...

Kobakhidze Accuses West of ‘Indirectly’ Backing ‘Overthrow and Violence’ After October 4 Unrest - Civil Georgia

Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has slammed the country’s Western partners, includin

civil.ge

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

ah, vast degene die me eraf geknikkerd heeft 😜

Ik weet nog wel een paar namen die missen, maar die ook niet passend genoeg worden gevonden bij de bubble.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

Ik kan de reactie niet lezen. Ik zag een reactie ballonnetje, maar die is verborgen voor mij. Ik ben een hele poos geleden wel eens uit een dergelijke lijst geknikkerd omdat ik blijkbaar te kritisch was / een sociaal ongewenste positie over iets innam. Weet niet of dat deze lijst was.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

By building a new stadium next to the current airport, the safety requirements in the area becomes an additional argument - which wouldn't have been an argument is they picked another location for the stadium [or would just have settled with the current Dinamo stadium that's still all fine]

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

By building a new stadium next to the current airport, the government adds arguments to the "need" to move the airport.

They argue that the current site won't be spacious enough for the air traffic growth they envision for the upcoming years [which is nonsensical].

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

This way the authorities secure a planned move to the airbase Vaziani for the purpose of air traffic safety.

The government had already planned the move of the airport, but this came under scrutiny. Vaziani is also used for NATO exercises - and the current airport has plenty of room for expansion.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 10h

Georgian authorities continue their plan to build a new national event/soccer stadium next to the international airport of Tbilisi.

Three proposals have been submitted in the bidding process.

The stadium will make it a necessity to relocate the airport.
bm.ge/news/70000-m...

70,000 მაყურებელზე გათვლილი სტადიონის ტენდერი გაიხსნა - რომელმა კომპანიებმა წარადგინეს განცხადება

თბილისში ახალი ეროვნული სტადიონის მშენებლობის ტენდერის წინადადებები გაიხსნა - 70,000 მაყურებელზე გათ...

bm.ge

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 11h

If Kocharyan returns to power this might turn into a reversion of the peace process and the progress Pashinyan made to open the doors in the near future for Armenia internationally and specifically with Turkey.

Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 11h

The pro-European Armenian government of Pashinyan will be challenged in the upcoming parliamentary elections next year by former president Kocharyan, who is critical of the peacemaking with Azerbaijan under Pashinyan.

oc-media.org/ex-armenian-...

Ex-Armenian President Kocharyan announces parliamentary elections bid

Armenia is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in June 2026

oc-media.org

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 11h

The Georgian government is in talks with Saudi Arabia for investments in Georgia and a cooperation pact with Kuwait.

The broader pattern is that the Georgian Dream government is abandoning Georgia's traditional European orientation, moving the country in the position of becoming an Asian nation.

Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 12h

Georgian PM Kobakhidze continues to massage Georgian minds that the EU is a Nazi and Soviet styled project.

He says EU statements are "a continuation of Goebbels-like propaganda. Europe is not the panacea".

Meanwhile, Georgian government deepens its relationship with "democratic" Arab states.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 13h

The core of the message of Georgian Dream is that banning parties is very European, which I refute with this case example of one of the most open democracies in Europe, illustrating that our maximal plural model makes it very hard for single parties to get absolute power, let alone for long period.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 13h

Earlier this summer I wrote a short essay on party bans in the Netherlands, the restraint we have in applying them, shown in how few parties in our totally plural landscape have really been banned in the last 80s years since WW2 - and in which context.
www.akhaliiveria.ge/en/article/125

Banning political parties is not European - A perspective from the Netherlands

Last year, Georgian Dream vowed to make the Georgian political landscape ‘healthy’. The spirit of this vow was not to promote policies and programmes to improve the functioning of parties or their sty...

www.akhaliiveria.ge

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 13h

He reiterates that "in just a few days, a lawsuit will be filed with the Constitutional Court. Accordingly, the 'National Movement' and its branches will definitely be abolished as political parties... Among them are Lelo and Gakharia,.. which was confirmed at the [Tsulukiani] commission".

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 13h

For those alleging Lelo and Gakharia for Georgia are handlers/enablers of Georgian Dream for their participation in the local elections:

MP Guram Macharashvili cuts this short. He says these parties will also be part (or in the scope) of the party ban lawsuit.
www.interpressnews.ge/ka/article/8...

გურამ მაჭარაშვილი „ლელოსა“ და გახარიას პარტიაზე - ამ ძალებს სერიოზულად აღარ აღვიქვამთ, სარჩელი იქნება შეტანილი - „ნაცმოძრაობა“ თავისი სატელიტებით უნდა ჩამოსცილდეს ქართულ პოლიტიკას, სატელიტები სარჩელში...

ჩვენ ამ ძალებს [“ლელო - ძლიერი საქართველო” და “გახარია საქართველოსთვის”] უკვე სერიოზულად აღარ აღვიქვამთ,

www.interpressnews.ge

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 14h

Obviously the current "complicated relationship" with the EU also plays a role as the European Payments Council makes the final decision on recommendation of the EC.

Commenters assess the Georgian National Bank is no longer so keen on this membership, avoiding commenting on SEPA for a long time.

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 14h

Some suggest Georgia might back out from joining the Euro Payments Area SEPA.

The reason of this theory is that Moldova is now allowed to join, while Georgia is technically also ready (and more ahead).

However, bm.ge assesses Georgia has become reluctant in actually joining.
bm.ge/news/politik...

“პოლიტიკური კონტექსტის გარდა, არ გამოვრიცხავ, რომ სებ-იც ისე აღარ ინდომებდეს…” - რა ეტაპზეა SEPA-ში გაწევრიანების საკითხი?

2022 წლის 20 სექტემბერს საქართველომ ევროინტეგრაციის გზაზე ერთ-ერთი მნიშვნელოვანი ნაბიჯი გადადგა და რ...

bm.ge

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 14h

Hah Ronald, dank je. Ik ben misschien iets te kritisch naar de smaak van sommigen 🙃

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Jelger Groeneveld @jelgerg.bsky.social · 14h

Another high profile suicide in Georgia.

Former director of Gldani prison who resigned after the beating of Bachiashvili in prison reportedly committed suicide.

Bachiashvili was a former aide of Ivanishvili until he took millions in bitcoin profits.
formulanews.ge/News/129266

გლდანის ციხის ყოფილი უფროსი გარდაიცვალა - გამოძიება თვითმკვლელობამდე მიყვანის მუხლით დაიწყო

formulanews.ge

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