Author : Tamuna Shengelia
We hear endless analyses and interpretations from both pro-government and opposition speakers, weary of their own wisdom. One “respectable” analyst even claimed that the Georgian people’s struggle for a bright future is currently in the phase of stripping the husk off maize—an essential step before breaking the oligarch like an ear of corn and throwing him into the pot—I am not joking. While the opposition remains stuck in the husk-peeling stage, let’s examine the cold, hard facts before us and the tangible results Ivanishvili has delivered by the end of 2024.
The opposition is virtually neutralized, the parliament is one-party and completely obedient, all state institutions are controlled, the constitution is ignored, the issue of European integration, and even more so NATO membership, is closed. As politicians, political scientists and lawyers have unanimously noted, the coup d’état and the constitutional overthrow are a fait accompli.
The only legitimate and internationally recognized authority, President Zourabichvili, left the presidential palace without classifying the gravest crisis as a constitutional coup, without pardoning the regime’s political prisoners, without attempting to call new elections, without declaring a state of emergency, and without calling on the army to restore constitutional order and protect innocent citizens from informal armed assailants. She also failed to unite the warring, ambitious and arrogant opposition leaders, who remained deadlocked over how to divide nonexistent influence.
But instead, she repeatedly contained the spring protests, especially the enraged uprising following the elections, and helped the Cartu group get through the critical period.
It could also be considered a success for Salome Zourabichvili that, despite coming to power through numerous legal violations (let’s recall that the election that brought her to the presidency was described by international observers as “free but unfair”, which is why virtually no high-level international guests attended her inauguration) and despite her many damaging statements and actions (her role in the Gareji operation alone speaks volumes!), she left office with more support than she had when she took office (the opposite is usually the case).
By the end of her term, she had managed to rehabilitate her reputation: Both opposition political forces and the critically-minded society recognized her as the only legitimate leader. Together, they may have swallowed another of Ivanishvili’s tricks. The fact is that the people themselves calmly left the site of Kavelashvili’s inauguration to concentrate on Zourabichvili’s pompous farewell.
Now, Zourabichvili has a journey around the world ahead of her—attending inaugurations and receptions, meetings between vacations and new impressions, photo ops, tweets, enjoying honors, indulging in privileges, and basking in an honorary status without responsibility—a perfect retirement life.
The fact that Salome remains president in our hearts reminds me of those Gamsakhurdia supporters (sorry for the harsh comparison) who waited many years for the return of their deceased and buried president.
Although she did not deliver much for the people, they are still longing for this president, because her successor is an ignorant lowlife, exactly the kind of “typical Georgian” Ivanishvili described to us at the outset of his rule.
The “elite” Ivanishvili has built is an exact match to the way he once described Georgians. The country he has shaped (I deliberately avoid calling it a state) is precisely the kind he envisioned.
So, what other outcomes do we have?
The lari has depreciated twofold and the cost of living has doubled. Corruption has reached an unprecedented scale. Falsification, lies and arrogance. Celebrating the “victory” of the losing team. The devastation of Gelati. Expansion of the list of intangible cultural heritage, which now includes Georgian supra (feast) and Mtskheta “perashki” (pies).
“There is still much to be done, but not that much.” The oligarch will cope with minor shortcomings.
The sanctions are indeed severe, but their imposition did not come as a surprise. The precautions were taken a long time ago. The luxury of Ivanishvili and his family has not been threatened.
Isolation? Ivanishvili is not known for his love of travel. For him, isolation is a natural state. For others, it means shopping in Dubai, holidays in the Maldives or the Seychelles.
Reputation? He’s never cared about it. Recognition inside the country interests him even less. When a journalist shouts “Russian!” at Kobakhidze, uses the prefixes “illegitimate”, “so-called”, “self-proclaimed” or a thousand sharp epithets from witty Facebook statuses—all this does not even deserve his attention. He never learnt Russian, but he fully internalized the principle “Собака лает—караван идет”(a dog barks, the caravan goes on), which he demonstrated again and again. But who and how it is perceived is another matter.
As for perceiving and acknowledging the reality that society itself has largely created: let’s not overlook another unforgettable day—New Year’s celebration on Rustaveli Avenue, Christmas Alilo (Christmas Eve caroling), that fleeting sense of unity in ecstasy, singing, dancing—another stage for showcasing creativity and talent. Once again, we marveled at how gifted and extraordinary we Georgians are. Then, as tradition dictates, we dispersed—only to retreat into our own bubbles, once more divided by someone’s hatred or envy.
Meanwhile, the de facto president continues to draft new laws. Those who stubbornly refuse to recognize the self-proclaimed president and disobey his orders will be dealt with by “Khareba” (head of special forces); sanctions imposed won’t stop him. Activists and over-active people who don’t let themselves be restrained by the instinct of self-preservation will end up in prison or in emigration, with the image of Salome Zourabichvili in their hearts. If necessary, one of them will end his life in suspicious circumstances. And the remaining politicians will devour each other.
Soon there will be complete peace and harmony. Noshiko (Noshiko Namoradze, businessman, biggest donor to Georgian Dream and supporter of the so-called Russian law) will breathe a sigh of relief. Much more money will be made than ever before. The bitcoin factory is humming... Ivanishvili has fulfilled everything that he set as a goal and promised his electorate to do in 2012, 2016, 2018 and subsequent years—not all at once and not perfectly, but he did.
True, this voter changed his demands or instructions along the way (depending on whether he was standing on one foot or two), but what of it? The main and most fundamental demand—“just get rid of the UNM”—was met 100%.
Georgians and Georgia? This fairy tale’s ending is happy! Georgians have been left at the mercy of fairy tales, illusions, visions, hopes, dreams; hoping for sanctions imposed from the outside, for the Ukrainians to win the war, or for the Virgin Mary... If none of this works, the regime will eventually collapse of its own accord, I’m sure of it! Until then... these are the facts, and I’ll remind those who don’t acknowledge them of the old joke: “Let us who believe pass!”
