Image by Arzu Geybullayeva, created via Canva Pro

This article was first published on OC Media. An edited version is republished here under a content partnership agreement. 

Georgia's political landscape remains in crisis as mass protests continue in the face of ongoing political turmoil, while the ruling Georgian Dream party presses on with its repressive agenda despite mounting opposition both at home and abroad. The government’s latest actions include a new department of government efficiency, and the introduction of a foreign agent law modeled on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

New government efficiency department faces criticism

On March 31, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the creation of the new department aimed at overseeing and improving the performance of Georgia's executive branches. The department will expand the mandate of the existing state audit service and focus on ensuring the efficient use of government resources, specifically taxpayer funds. Government officials have claimed that this initiative is part of the broader effort to combat corruption and improve public sector performance.

However, the department's name has raised eyebrows because of its striking similarity to a department created during U.S. President Donald Trump’s current term, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, a member of the ruling party, stated that the department would monitor the “effectiveness of decision implementation” across ministries and their subordinate agencies, emphasizing the need for stricter oversight in government spending.

Opposition protests and calls for political change

The same day as Kobakhidze announced the plans to set up the Georgian version of DOGE, thousands gathered in Tbilisi to mark the 34th anniversary of Georgia's independence referendum, and once again express their opposition to the current government.

Among the speakers at the event was former President Salome Zourabichvili, who proposed the creation of a “platform of resistance” aimed at bringing together pro-European political forces to challenge the Georgian Dream government. Zourabichvili, who has been a vocal critic of the ruling party ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, emphasized the need for a political alternative to the current regime, and called for new, fair elections and the release of all prisoners of conscience.

Zourabichvili's speech was met with mixed reactions, with opposition leaders such as Nika Gvaramia and Paata Burchuladze criticizing the former president for failing to take concrete action. Gvaramia, co-founder of the opposition Coalition for Change, mocked the speech, quoting Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” to describe it as “words, words, words,” accusing Zourabichvili of offering little more than empty rhetoric. Burchuladze, a former politician and opera singer, was even more blunt, calling Zourabichvili’s actions a “diversion” and demanding more decisive leadership.

The former president was also criticized for not calling for the release of former President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was arrested shortly after returning from self-imposed exile in October 2021 based on a 2018 court decision that found him guilty on several accounts of abuse of power and sentenced him to six years in absentia.

Zourabichvili was criticized for failing to address the government's handling of the ongoing investigation into the United National Movement (UNM), with a parliamentary commission tasked with probing the party’s actions, despite calls from protesters to speak out about the investigation.

In March, Mamuka Mdinaradze said his party was preparing to appeal to the Constitutional Court and demand that both the United National Movement (UNM) and other opposition parties be declared unconstitutional, and therefore banned from participating in elections.

Controversial foreign agent law and media restrictions

Alongside the creation of the Georgian version of DOGE, the Georgian Dream has also passed a series of contentious laws aimed at curbing foreign influence and tightening control over civil society and media organizations. On April 1 members of the parliament adopted restrictive laws and amendments to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and amendments to the Broadcasting Law.

FARA, which would replace the controversial foreign agent law adopted in May 2024, is touted by the ruling party as an exact translation of American law. The ruling party justified the need to replace the existing law by stating that a large number of targeted organisations refused to comply with it.

Under the new law, a foreign agent is defined as any person (legal or physical) who is under the control of, or acts at the direction of, a foreign power and acts in the interests of that foreign power. This means that, unlike the previous law, the law passed on Tuesday will also affect individuals.

Failure to comply with the law can be punishable by up to five years of imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Critics have pointed out that while the original FARA law in the U.S. was intended to target foreign lobbyists and agents, the Georgian version seems more focused on suppressing dissent and limiting the influence of civil society organizations.

The amendments adopted to the Broadcasting Law allow Georgian Dream to impose “coverage standards” on broadcasters, essentially allowing the ruling party to dictate the content of media outlets. Another provision prohibits broadcasters from accepting foreign funding, a move that will disproportionately affect independent media organizations that rely on foreign support.

In addition to these laws, Georgian Dream has also passed several other pieces of legislation that had been previously initiated, including reintroducing the concept of treason into the Criminal Code, removing the word “gender” from all laws, and excluding civil society organisations from official decision-making processes.

The government has defended these laws, arguing that they are necessary to protect the country from external influences and to preserve national security.

The EU disagrees. On March 6, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution condemning the “democratic backsliding in Georgia,” which, according to the text of the resolution, has affected democracy in the country. Highlighting that the backsliding intensified in the aftermath of the 2024 parliamentary elections, the resolution elaborated that democratic institutions have become fundamentally weakened and consolidated in the hands of the ruling Georgian Dream party.

On April 2, in a joint statement by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, the new laws were said to “give additional tools to the Georgian authorities to suppress dissent and tighten the policy of repression.” Meanwhile, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Maria Telalian said FARA, “profoundly impacts the work of civil society and all those working to defend human rights,” and called on the ruling government to reassess the law.