US imposes sanctions on leader and founder of Georgian Dream

The United States has imposed sanctions on Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the richest citizen of Georgia. US Secretary of State Blinken accuses him of undermining democracy to the benefit of Russia.

Blinken also holds Ivanishvili’s party responsible for the “continued and violent repression” of citizens, protesters, journalists, human rights activists and opposition members.

For example, during protests against the government, protesters were beaten to the ground by police. An opposition leader was also arrested when leaving a demonstration. He was released a day later.

Ukrainian President Zelensky reacted on Telegram with delight to the American decision. “Ivanishvili is pulling the strings in Tbilisi and is doing everything he can to hand over power to Russian President Putin.”

The sanctions mean that all assets of Georgian Dream leader Ivanishvili in American banks will be frozen.

Oligarch

The 68-year-old Ivanishvili made his fortune after the fall of the Soviet Union in Russia. More than ten years ago, the oligarch entered politics and founded Georgian Dream. In 2012, he won the elections and was prime minister of the country for more than a year.

Initially, the party seemed to be pursuing a pro-European course, but since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Georgian government has maintained increasingly close ties with Russia. Several anti-democratic laws have been passed along Russian lines, such as the ‘foreign agents’ law.

Organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their income from other countries are required to register as ‘foreign agents’. This law silences critical journalists and human rights organizations.

At the end of last month, Georgian Dream announced that the country would suspend its accession process to the European Union until at least 2028, which led to a new wave of demonstrations.

Inauguration

These protests began in October when Georgian Dream won the country’s parliamentary elections by a landslide, according to official figures. But according to pro-European President Zurabishvili, opposition parties and independent observers, the elections were rigged.

Last Sunday, Zurabishvili said in a speech that a new election date should be announced within a week. She refuses to leave until new parliamentary elections are announced.

Last month, former professional footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili of the Georgian Dream was elected president of Georgia by a special college. Due to a constitutional amendment, the president was not directly elected by the people for the first time.

The fact that Kavelashvili received the most votes came as no surprise: the majority of the members of the electoral college are from the Georgian Dream. Moreover, he was the only candidate. The opposition boycotted the election.

For the time being, Kavelashvili’s inauguration is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.