In this year of elections, I am coming a bit late to the table. However, my timing feels relevant. While all eyes are on the American election and the potential fallout of a Trump presidency, they are missing the drama in my corner of the world. 

My corner of the world, for the moment, being the Caucuses, more specifically Tbilisi, Georgia. Like America, Georgia recently went through pivotal elections wrought with Russian interference, voter fraud, frustration, and fear. In a reflection of the wider world, Georgia is poised on the edge of its future. It could shift towards the EU or move closer to Russia. For many the results of the election represent a giant leap towards Russia. 

  ~The Election~

Saturday evening I waited out the vote counting by drinking cider in a popular Russian Ukrainian bar a few blocks from Parliament. Despite the relaxed vibe, the bartender said he was nervous about what might happen once the election was called. A few months ago, Georgian Dream passed, what is commonly called, the “Russian Law.” This law requires local organizations to register as, “bearing the interest of a foreign power,” if they received 20% or more funding from abroad. Russia used this law to suppress dissent. Many Georgians see the law as oppressive and they came out in mass to protest it. Given its location, the bar became ground zero for treating protesters who had been pepper sprayed or worse.     

Eleven O’clock came, the count finished, and the announcement of Georgian Dream’s victory topped my news feed. I ordered another drink and waited. Nothing happened. It was quiet inside the bar. Outside a procession of cars honked their way down the main street in celebration of Georgian Dream’s victory. Swallowing my FOMO and the last of my drink, I made my way home. 

Despite the reports of violence, Tbilisi looked normal the next morning. No signs of impending doom or mass rioting. Later that day, President Salome Zurabishvili rejected the outcome of the election, claiming interference and fraud. She then called for a rally to be held in front of Parliament on Monday evening to protest the election results and defend the vote.

~The Protest~

On my way to the rally, I fell in step with two women. One of them had a gas mask around her neck. Confident we were headed the same way, I introduced myself. Together, chatting and laughing, we walked through two police lines and several clusters of emergency vehicles. Once on the main road, we met a wall of people. Without hesitation, the two women pushed their way into the crowd. I tried to follow but was swept away in a current of people moving in a different direction. Going with the current, I ended up in the center of the crowd, directly in front of Parliament. 

Patriotic music played and then the president spoke. She was followed by representatives of the opposition parties. Not being able to speak Georgian, the only words I understood were; Hello, thank you, Russia, Putin, and Orbon. My main takeaway from the speeches was that the crowd really really did not like Putin nor were they fans of Orban. 

The people around me were a mixed group. Several older couples wore grim expressions and focused on the platform of politicians. A young family made the most of every opportunity to shout and wave their arms in the air. Several other people shifted in and out of the space around me. Some were intense, even emotional, others chatted and laughed. One woman passed around a tray of pastries. Despite the diversity and chaos, there was a moment when everyone went silent and raised their arms. 

Once the speeches ended and the music stopped, people spread out displaying their signs, giving interviews, and waving flags. I wandered through the crowd, reading the signs and listening to conversations. Ukraine and EU flags were waved alongside Georgian ones. Several signs repeated the President’s words, calling the election fraud a ‘Russian special operation.’ Even more people expressed her sentiment, declaring that Georgia was not Russia and saying that Georgians, “will not accept this new form of subjugation by Russia.”

~Thoughts~

The Georgian elections raised several points of interest for me. One was how election fraud has been so weaponized in the US that it is difficult to see it as legitimate anywhere. In Georgia, there was little attempt to hide the voting sabotage. Videos of ballot stuffing, bribery, and violence flooded Telegram. Election observers called out major violations and data analysts demonstrated suspicious vote reporting. Despite this avalanche of evidence, hearing the President call the elections fraudulent made me wince. 

While I agree with her, I associate calling an election illegitimate with Trump and see it as destructive and self-serving. This is one more thing I will lay at Trump’s feet. He tainted the fight for autonomy and democracy, making it look like a petty attempt to hold onto power.

On the corruption of autonomy and democracy; when we blame the outcome of an election on interference we are surrendering autonomy. If a government, a corporation, or a billionaire can manipulate a populace and sway an election or inspire a revolution, the will of the people is dead. If that is true, then democracy is over. 

This might be wishful thinking, but interference does cancel out autonomy. In 2016, Russians actively interfered in the American presidential elections. While they exacerbated social divisions and encouraged polarization, they did not create those issues. The problems that led to two Trump victories were homegrown. The same goes for the UK’s Brexit vote. While Georgia experienced pervasive election fraud and Russia played a directive and supportive role in this, it was Georgians who perpetrated it. 

To highlight this point, look at Moldova, which also had elections in October and, like Georgia, was brigaded by an unprecedented level of election interference from Russia. Unlike Georgia, Moldova swung towards the EU and away from Russia. 

Election interference is never the full story. It is the equivalent of throwing gas on a fire. We can call it out, but we still need to deal with what started the fire. Or maybe our beliefs and positions are algorithmically programmed, democracy is dead, and there is nothing we can do about it. 

Either way, I will go to the next rally in support of Georgian opposition parties.