Since October 26, hundreds of thousands of protestors have flooded the streets of the capital, Tbilisi, in response to the majority Georgian Dream party’s decision to halt all plans to join the European Union until 2028. Prime Minister Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream Party made this announcement days after the already contested parliamentary election- and Georgian citizens have answered with fury.

Georgia, a small country bordering the Black Sea, is a former republic of the Soviet Union. It has transformed into a burgeoning democracy since its independence in 1991.

The people of Georgia have shown strong and unwavering support for the country’s accession to the European Union. A March 2023 survey conducted by the International Republican Institute found that 85% of Georgians were in favor of EU membership.

This decision was accompanied by the announcement that Georgia would reject all EU funding until 2028, severing access to financial support. These acts go blatantly against the Georgian constitution, which binds all government officials to work towards Georgian EU membership.

This push from the people toward the West is also influenced by the country’s troubled history with its neighbor, Russia. Georgia was previously under Russian occupation, and though the country attained independence, the South Caucasus region has since been torn by the Russian invasion in 2008. Since then, the Russian Federation has supported Georgian Dream, Georgia’s populist and Kremlin-friendly party.

Many Georgians believe that the 2024 election was simply another opportunity for Russia to reinstate its influence over the region, “I think Moscow sees Georgia as a test case to show that it can maintain regional hegemony even after significant depredations”  Same Greene, director of Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told Vox.

However, the country has also gradually drifted towards a Russian-friendly government headed by Georgian Dream, Georgia’s populist majority party. The Georgian Dream has recently skewed far-right in its values, particularly taking a hardline against any involvement with the West. In June of 2024, the government passed legislation that cracked down on LGBTQ rights, civil society, the right to protest, and the independent press. Many of these laws can be seen reflected in Russian legislation, and only fuel the stark anti-Russian sentiment among citizens.

“In Georgia, the protest is against… the Putinist type of governance which is autocracy, which is anti-western, and tries to generate support among masses through populism, Conservatism, and appeal to tradition values and so on,” Natalie Sabanadze, senior researcher in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, told Vox.

Police and Georgian Dream-aligned groups have responded with violence to the protests, employing water canons, tear gas, and torture in attempts to disperse the crowds. However, despite the backlash, protestors have continued to surround the Parliament in Tbilisi- Georgians continue to show their resistance through dance, singing, and fireworks. As the Georgian Dream jumps to more and more authoritarian measures to maintain its grip on the country, it is becoming increasingly clear to the world that any EU accession plan under them is off the table.

On December 29, the Georgian Dream presidential candidate was privately sworn in, with citizens down the street continuing to call for a new election free of foreign interference. A suspicion that even the outgoing president, Salome Zourabichvili, holds. Zourabichvili has since refused to step down, saying she was the “only legitimate president.”

President Zourabichvili claims that Georgian Dream’s shutdown of EU talks is directly backed by Russia’s anti-western aspirations- and this is not too much of a stretch. In the past, the Kremlin has openly applauded the Georgian government for its contentious legislation. It is also worth noting that many of Georgian Dream’s leading figures are billionaires who have made their fortunes in Russia. Russia has good reason to stir Georgian politics away from the West, especially with the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Crimea. However, the extent of their influence is still shadowed mainly by secrecy.

Georgia’s coming years are clouded with uncertainty- the violent repression of voters risks inflaming resistance, and the global response to the government’s anti-democratic actions will be critical. For now, protests have shown no sign of dying down continuing into the new year, and with the next election set for 2028, Georgia’s future lies in the hands of its citizens- even if it means taking their democracy back with force.