Calm before the storm: the polarization index remained stable in September. During the month, the ruling party, Georgian Dream, unveiled its candidate list featuring well-known athletes. Meanwhile, two opposition parties attempted, but failed, to form a new coalition ahead of the upcoming election. In addition, leaders of the Georgian Dream stirred controversy with remarks about the 2008 war with Russia.

The Index shows an increase in media polarization since 2020, particularly acute since early 2022. While the Index captures significant polarization around specific events like elections, its response varies across different events and developments.

On October 21, 2021, Giorgi Papava and Davit Keshelava of the ISET Policy Institute participated in the presentation of the study “Georgia’s Political Landscape: Diversity, Convergence and Empty Spots” hosted by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Georgia and based on data of “Election Compass Georgia 2020”.

The 2020 parliamentary election in Georgia was a highly contested political event not only during the pre-election campaign but also after the elections took place. Most opposition parties boycotted Parliament for a few months, and a return to parliamentary politics was only possible with mediation efforts of the European Union.

The CCI has been picking up slightly in October, suggesting that the trend observed since May could be resuming after the dip of last month. It is a bit too early to draw a firm conclusion though, as the CCI remains below the values observed four years ago.