Georgians are choosing between two visions of the future - the pro-European opposition and the ruling Georgian Dream party, which is leaning towards Moscow.
U Georgia is chosen this Saturday the new parliament. The ruling Georgian Dream party leans towards Moscow and accuses the opposition of immediately dragging the country into wars and Western gay propaganda, writes Deutsche says.
The Georgian capital Tbilisi is in blue these days. The blue color of the EU flag with stars and the white Georgian flag with crosses dominate the election posters of political parties.
No wonder: Georgia's path to the European Union is one of the main topics of these parliamentary elections.
The goal of joining the European Union was even written into the constitution of this Caucasian country in 2018. About 80 percent of the population wants membership, which polls have consistently shown for years.
The irony of fate is that Georgia's path to the EU was paved by the very party that critics accuse today of taking the country further and further away from that path.
It is about the ruling party Georgian Dream. "Yes for the EU - but with dignity!" reads today's slogan of that party. "Dignified" in that case means - on our terms.
Georgia between Europe and Russia
Since 1991, this former Soviet republic has been independent. Now, for the first time, it is really at a crossroads: Europe or Russia. This is what Renata Skardziute-Kereselidze from the Institute of Politics in Tbilisi says.
"It's not just about polarization, which we've been observing for years. "The current government is threatening to completely ban opposition parties and prosecute independent media and organizations," she told DW.
But will the Georgian Dream manage to stay in power? After three mandates, it is not easy for any party to stay in power, because there is always a lot of material for criticism, Skardziute-Kereselidze estimates.
A change of government would therefore be healthy for Georgian democracy. "However, it will be difficult for all Georgian opposition parties to win the elections," as they all appeal to the people with the same EU blue flag, she adds.
The government scares the people with war and the gay population
Russian aggression against Ukraine casts a shadow over Georgia. "No to war and Yes to peace" is written on the election posters of the Georgian Dream. This caused criticism, because on the posters you can see photos of destroyed Ukrainian cities and picturesque Georgian cities. Kiev objected to this, without success.
The posters remain, and the message is clear: peace is guaranteed only by the current government in Tbilisi, while all others are supporters of the "global war party" that brings destruction with it.
Georgian Dream uses this narrative more and more often. Its founder, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, puts war and the rights of the LGBTQ population in the same basket. In an interview, he stated that the alleged Western propaganda of sexual minorities threatens Georgian society.
"The Global War Party is a very powerful force with many resources. It confronts the world with LGBTQ-propaganda, it affects many bureaucrats in developing countries."
If the opposition comes to power again, war will break out in Georgia the next day, Ivanishvili added in that interview.
Laws on the Russian model
Georgia is still considered a developing country - but the struggle for so-called traditional family values is the main theme of the Georgian Dream. As if there are no other problems in the country.
A few weeks ago, a law was passed that is directed against sexual minorities, and which supposedly protects family values and minors - according to the Russian model. In neighboring Russia, the law on so-called gay propaganda has been in force for years.
Another parallel with Russia is the law on "foreign agents". It mandates that organizations that receive a certain part of their financial resources from abroad must be registered as "agents of foreign influence".
That law passed parliament in May this year despite massive protests. In 2012, Russia passed a similar law against alleged foreign agents, which essentially threatens the work of critical media and institutions.
The Law on Agents brought a freeze on accession negotiations to Georgia, after the EU granted the country candidate status half a year earlier.
Elections with an open outcome
LGBTQ activist Tamar Jakeli (28) from the Tbilisi Pride association believes that the powerful just want to distract attention from their own failures.
"I think the government is generally losing support." For the past twelve years, she failed to fulfill her promise to create a welfare state," she tells DW.
Instead of improving the lives of citizens, the Georgian Dream only sows division and hatred, says this activist. If nothing changes after the election, she is thinking about leaving Georgia - as many of her peers are considering. However, it is still too early to say anything, because the outcome is uncertain, says Jakeli.
And what do others say? The polls in Georgia these days are unreliable. Sometimes it is stated that the ruling party has the support of 30 percent, and sometimes it is more than 60 percent.
Many people on the streets of Tbilisi want their country to join the EU as soon as possible.
"I think the pro-European parties will win and Georgia will return to its European path," says one young woman in Independence Square.
"People are already fleeing, Georgia will soon be empty if this continues," says one young man: "Everyone wants better living conditions, and we trust in Europe."
For political scientist Renata Skardziute-Kereselidze, it is clear that the elections will also be a form of protest. Many voters will decide against the current government in order to connect more strongly with the EU, she estimates.
"These elections will be elections for long-term stability and security," instead of rapprochement with Russia, concludes Skardziute-Kereselidze.
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