Russia closely observed Georgia’s recent presidential elections and actively commented on it.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is positive about Georgian president-elect Salome Zourabichvili – the government’s favorite.
He told journalists on 7 December that Russia intends to build strong relations with Tbilisi.
The Russian media is also actively commenting on the presidential elections, but opinions differ dramatically depending on whether the media outlet is independent or pro-government.
• “New Georgian president announces refusal to cooperate with Russia,” – gazeta.ru.
• “The USA hopes to productively cooperate with the elected president of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili in both bilateral and regional issues,” – tass.ru.
• “Supporters of ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili organized mass rallies after the presidential elections,” – TV channel tvzvezda.ru.
• “The campaigns of both presidential candidates in Georgia are based on accusing their rivals of supporting Moscow,” – Novaya Gazeta.
• “The biggest tragedy about Georgia is that the ruling party is trying to hold onto power through methods of falsification and information wars instead of ensuring the transfer of power. Say what you want about Saakashvili – in 2012, on the day of parliamentary elections, he accepted defeat and ensured a legitimate transfer of power,” – The Caucasian Knot.
Many high-profile public figures have written about the immaturity of Georgia’s democracy, although others claim that this is more true of Russia.
The second round of presidential elections in Georgia was held on 28 November 2018. Pro-governmental candidate Salome Zourabichvili won 59.52% of the vote, while opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze won 40.48%. These were the last elections held through a direct vote in Georgia – in future, the head of state will be elected by a special electoral college. The new president’s term of office will be six years, not five as before.