The ruling Georgian Dream party’s statement alleging that the opposition will drag Georgia into the conflict is a strong message according to the majority of respondents, reads the report of the McCain Institute for International Leadership.

On September 17, Laura Thornton, Director of Global Democracy Programs published the report Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Georgia September 2-8, 2024.

“GD has several campaign tactics and narratives, many of which, as described above, are supported and amplified by Russia. First, GD is presenting the choice in the election as one of war versus peace. They argue that the opposition (which they have labelled as all “collective UNM”) will drag Georgia into conflict. This fear-based message, according to virtually all interviewees, was a powerful one. Several civic leaders explained that Georgians were right to be concerned about conflict as they had not seen security guarantees from the West,” reads the report.

The report notes that the GD campaign is also attempting to sell the message that the party is still pro-EU – including images of the EU flag on their billboards — despite the party’s critical and insulting rhetoric toward the EU and continued rejection of the reforms outlined for candidacy status.

“GD leaders claim that they can join the EU on their “own terms” and “with dignity,” meaning that they could skirt EU requirements and press through with legislation restricting human rights in conflict with EU values. GD leaders point out that there are other illiberal EU members, and Georgia could join the ranks of Hungary. So rather than comply with EU measures, GD is campaigning on “traditional values,” passing anti-LGBTQ legislation, which would not only restrict rights but limit free speech and assembly, and introducing measures to designate the Georgian Orthodox Church as the state’s religion. As Bidzina Ivanishvili summarized, the election is a choice between “war and peace,” “slavery and independence,” and “moral degradation and Christian values,” reads the report.