Countries the world over are calling 2020 the most difficult year in the past decade. This was also the case for Georgia.
Business, study and life in general in Georgia were severely slowed down in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There was a state of emergency for two months, and a curfew for four months. Schools and kindergartens were open for only two months during the year. In 2020, the virus killed more than 2,500 people in the country and left more than 33,000 people unemployed.
The pandemic became the main event of the year, eclipsing everything else and affecting everyone
However, 2020 turned out to be a politically rich one for Georgia. Several events and trends that will now always be associated with 2020:
1.October 31 - parliamentary elections
Why was this election special?
◄ For the first time, the elections were held under a new system: an almost proportional one. The ruling team heard the wishes of opposition activists and civil society following massive protests and international intervention back in 2018. Amendments were made to the constitution, according to which 120 MPs are now elected according to the proportional (party) system and only 30 are elected according to single-mandate majoritarian districts.
◄ The Georgian Dream party, which has already ruled the country for the past eight years, ended up being given the mandate for a third term. This is the first time this has happened in Georgia.
◄ The opposition demonstrated unprecedented unity in Georgian politics - it did not recognise the results of the elections and declared them to be falsified. All opposition parties that won seats in parliament refused them.
◄ As a result, Georgia has set another historical record for itself - for the first time in history, a one-party parliament is operating in the country. Only MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party are participating at parliamentary sessions.
◄ As a result, the number of MPs is also a record low - only 90 MPs are working in the 150-seat parliament.
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2. The case of the cartographers - 'prisoners of conscience'
Three weeks before the parliamentary elections, on October 7, the Georgian prosecutor's office opened a criminal case related to the Georgian-Azerbaijani territorial dispute over the David-Gareji monastery complex. In connection with this case, two people were detained - leading scientists Iveri Melashvili and Natalia Ilyicheva.
The investigation claims that they worked in the Georgian-Azerbaijani state commission on delimitation-demarcation under President Saakashvili and hid an important map as a result of which up to 3,500 hectares of land belonging to Georgia were transferred to the Azerbaijani side.
Why is it important?
Independent experts believe that there is no evidence in the Melashvili-Ilyicheva case. The opposition says the case is political. The delimitation process took place at a time when the country was ruled by President Mikheil Saakashvili. The opposition believes that it was precisely for the sake of discrediting his United National Movement party and himself that the "case of the cartographers" was started. It could also be used to influence the patriotic sentiments of voters, many experts say.
“The whole context clearly shows that Iveri Melashvili and Natalya Ilyichova are prisoners of conscience,” a joint statement by the main NGOs operating in Georgia said.
3. Unprecedented robbery - criminal escapes with half a million dollars
On October 21, a militant broke into the Bank of Georgia building in the center of Zugdidi in western Georgia and took 43 people hostage. The whole affair lasted over 8 hours. The perpetrator demanded half a million dollars, unarmed negotiators and security guarantees.
As a result, he received this amount and disappeared. The attacker was a former serviceman, Badri Esebua. The police are still looking for him. A case was initiated against him under the article "terrorism".
Why is it important?
The release of the hostages was completed without casualties. Therefore, the government considers this operation to be a success. And critics say the operation was a failure and could encourage others to commit similar crimes.
4. Giorgi Shakarashvili case
In June 2020, the country was shocked by the murder of a 19-year-old football player. The body of Giorgi Shakarashvili, who went to his girlfriend's birthday, was found by rescuers in the Aragvi River on June 23 after four days of searching. The tragedy was preceded by a quarrel and a fight between two groups of young people.
Why is it important?
This story revealed systemic problems in the law enforcement system of Georgia at all stages: the police did not start searching for the missing in time, despite the availability of information about the clash between young people; pressure was put on juvenile witnesses, and others. But the Shakarashvili case also showed that the criminal mentality of the Georgian youth is dominated by the so-called “thieves' mentality”. During a fight at a birthday party, the teenagers called in not the police to help them, but the familiar crime bosses.
5. Georgian national football team loses in semifinal match of European Championship
“Our football team has never been so close to European success since May 13, 1981,” Georgian observers wrote after the semifinal match of the 2020 European Football Championship, in which the Georgian national team beat Belarus 1: 0.
