Georgia faces two-year anniversary of election crisis as tourism hits record

Georgian protesters have gathered every weekend in Tbilisi for two years, marking the anniversary of the contested parliamentary elections held on October 26, 2024. The demonstrations, known as the Saturday March, begin in Avlabari Square in the Armenian quarter and move toward Freedom Square and the parliament building. Participants chant slogans against the government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. The movement targets Georgian Dream, the party that has held power since 2012. Critics accuse the ruling party of increasing authoritarianism and moving the country closer to Moscow by suspending European Union accession talks. Georgia received candidate status from the EU in 2023.

The political crisis intensified on November 28, 2024, when the government announced it would not prioritize opening EU negotiations until the end of 2028. This decision followed the elections by just over a month. The protests that began two days after the vote reached their peak during that November announcement. The demonstrations have since become a regular feature of the capital, representing one of the longest continuous protest movements in the region’s recent history.

Despite the political unrest, the country experienced a surge in international tourism in 2025. Data from the Georgian National Tourism Administration shows that more than 5.5 million international visitors arrived in the nation last year. This figure represents an 8.4 percent increase compared to 2024. It is also nearly ten times the number of visitors, approximately 560,000, who traveled to Georgia twenty years ago. Tourists are drawn to the country’s historic sites, post-Soviet urban atmosphere, and unspoiled natural landscapes.

A large share of these visitors comes from Russia and the Middle East. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tens of thousands of Russian citizens relocated to Georgia. These new residents brought capital and opened businesses, but their presence also exerted strong pressure on the local property market. Many purchased homes across the country. This influx has fueled discontent among locals who remember the wars against Russian-backed separatists in the early 1990s and the brief conflict in August 2008. Many continue to view Russia as an occupying power.

The economy has grown despite these social tensions. GDP rose by 7.5 percent in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of expansion. However, the country still faces challenges including unemployment, low wages, and widespread poverty. Many rural areas are experiencing depopulation. Georgia, a republic roughly the size of Ireland with a population of fewer than 4 million, emerged from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is sandwiched between Russia and Turkey, alongside Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Tbilisi, the capital, has developed a dynamic, cosmopolitan character. The city features repurposed industrial spaces and a rich underground scene that some compare to 1990s Berlin. A key cultural landmark is the Rustaveli Theatre, renovated 20 years ago by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili founded Georgian Dream in 2012 and served as prime minister between 2012 and 2013. He made his fortune in Russia during the 1990s after the Soviet collapse.

Diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia were severed after the 2008 conflict and Russia’s consolidation of military control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. These regions account for approximately 20 percent of Georgian territory. Yet economically, Moscow remains a partner that is difficult to replace. Trade, tourism, remittances, Russian capital, and energy imports support the Tbilisi economy. The country’s predicament also reflects wider geopolitical tensions. The EU has recently criticized the Georgian government’s record on the rule of law and political repression.

Observers note that a strengthening of Moscow in the Ukraine war could increase its ability to exert pressure on the Caucasus. The future of Georgia, which is internationally isolated and has limited domestic support for the current government, may depend on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine. The next two years will test whether the country can balance its economic ties with Russia against its political desire for European integration.