Is it “January 6” in Georgia?

 By Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian

You remember January 6, 2021, or “J 6” as some now refer to it. It was, according to many, an “insurrection” or “coup” designed to topple democracy in America, egged on by Donald Trump, who claimed that the 2020 election had been stolen by Joe Biden.

The rioters sought to keep Trump in power by preventing a joint session of Congress from formalizing Biden’s victory, and some participated in vandalism and looting. Within 36 hours, five people had died. More than one thousand participants were arrested, with about two-thirds receiving a jail sentence.

Anyhow, it appears the American voters have “moved on,” as they say, in 2024. Trump is back and most of those jailed participants, some of whom received very long prison terms, will probably be pardoned.

Why bring this up? Because a similar thing is happening now in the former Soviet republic of Georgia in the Caucasus – but in this case, it’s the “democrat” who has lost, to a pro-Russian candidate, and refuses to accept the result.

On Dec. 29, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a hardline critic of the West, was inaugurated as the country’s new president. An electoral college dominated by the ruling pro-Moscow Georgian Dream party chose a man known for his vehement anti-West views.

Following the vote, Georgian Dream party Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Kavelashvili’s election “will make a significant contribution to strengthening Georgia’s statehood and our sovereignty, as well as reducing radicalism and so-called polarization.” The main mission of the presidential institution “is to care for the unity of the nation and society,” he added.

But outgoing President Salome Zourabichvili declared Kavelashvili’s presidency illegitimate in a speech to supporters outside the presidential palace. “I remain the only legitimate president,” she told them. “I will leave the presidential palace and stand with you, carrying with me the legitimacy, the flag and your trust.” She called the appointment of her successor “a mockery of democracy.”

The country has been embroiled in political turmoil since contested parliamentary elections in October that saw the pro-Moscow Georgian Dream party get over 54 per cent of the votes. The opposition United National Movement contended that the elections had been falsified and the vote “stolen from the Georgian people.” They consider this as a further blow to the country’s European aspirations.

There have been pro-European Union protests since, with claims that the ruling party is pulling Georgia back towards Russian influence and that the Georgian bid to join the European Union has been undermined. Several ambassadors and a deputy foreign minister have resigned over the decision to suspend EU accession talks for four years. More than 400 people have been arrested during the protests, with many accusing authorities of beating them. Prime Minister Kobakhidze has vowed to “eradicate” the country’s opposition. “These recent developments mark the start of the end of liberal fascism in Georgia,” he said

Former president Zourabichvili has emerged as the face of the nationwide anti-government, pro-EU protests, which she defines as “a resistance movement” against the pro-Russian government. But is she simply a puppet of the West? Her biography might suggest that.

Salome Zourabichvili was born in Paris in 1952, into a family of Georgian political emigres. After graduating from top schools in Paris and New York, for more than 30 years she dedicated herself to French diplomacy with postings in the United States, Italy and Chad before returning to her historical homeland, where she served as France’s ambassador to Georgia. 

In 2004, by mutual agreement between the presidents of France and Georgia, she became the Georgian foreign minister. During her tenure, Zourabichvili signed key agreements with NATO and the EU and negotiated the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgian territory. 

But you can be sure America’s liberal left will see this as a fight on behalf of democracy, rather than an extra-legal “insurrection.” In fact the United States has sanctioned senior officials in Georgia’s government in response to the repression of the pro-EU protesters.

“The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Kobakhidze hopes for better relations with Washington after Donald Trump becomes president. It appears “democracy” is a term that refers to elections only when Washington approves of the victors. So he’s probably right.