Publication

This paper reviews the political and economic situation in Georgia prior to the country’s October 2016 parliamentary elections. It concludes that 1) economic problems, especially unemployment and the cost of living, dominate the Georgian public’s concerns at the moment; 2) the Georgian Dream government has lost the support it had four years ago, although the electorate appears to lay at least equal blame for Georgia’s problems on the previous administration; 3) virtually all of the country’s political figures have negative approval ratings, which may provide an opportunity for third parties in the future; and 4) it’s time for Western governments to do more to encourage reform in the country and to pay attention to its security concerns.