Georgia: Drumming for Reform

Mikhail Saakashvili said he returned to Georgia in support of the opposition as local elections get underway this weekend. Current Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, had vowed to arrest Saakashvili if he returned.

Mikheil Saakashvili's partner said he has been transferred to "the most dangerous place for his life." He has been on hunger strike since his arrest upon returning from exile on October 1.

Opposition leader and former president Mikheil Saakashvili says charges against him for his role in suppressing a 2007 protest are "trumped up." Amnesty International called his arrest "political revenge."

This week, France 24 commemorates the 30 years of the dissolution of the USSR. We continue our journey through former Soviet republics in Georgia, where the Georgian Orthodox Church enjoys considerable power and influence. After 70 years of communist oppression, it turned into a driving force to achieve independence and rebuild the country. Today, its position is threatened by the country’s pro-European liberal youth.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili reacted to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Georgian leader said she was "not too convinced" by Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances that he is willing to stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Zourabichvili added that the only party that is escalating the war in Ukraine is Putin himself.

Georgia previously planned to apply to join the European Union in 2024. The move comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for EU membership amid Russia's ongoing invasion.

Tens of thousands of Russians have fled to Georgia, a small Caucasus nation of roughly 4 million inhabitants, since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. The reasons are varied: fear of conscription for men, a risk of reprisals for political opponents or simply hope of a better life as Russia isolates itself. However, an uncertain future awaits them. Opinions in Georgia are divided about this new diaspora, despite the country already experiencing a Russian attack in 2008 and the occupation of 20 percent of its territory.

South Ossetia's self-proclaimed government said it was time for the region to "unite once and for all" with Russia. The breakaway republic was at the center of Moscow's military intervention in Georgia in 2008.

The European Commission has recommended EU member candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova, but said Georgia still falls short. In Tbilisi, tens of thousands came out to defend their dream of a future in Europe.

Italy's election winner takes charge of an economy still shining from a summer boom, but dark clouds loom. High debt, inflation, weak growth and an aging population will weigh on Meloni's "national reawakening."

As the war in Ukraine continues to rumble on, watching events very closely are Russia's neighbours. Five of those countries are led by women including Georgia. Annette Young speaks to the Georgian President, Salome Zurabishvili about the impact of the war on her country and the region.

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock has defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a run-off vote in Georgia. It was the final Senate seat left undecided from the 2022 midterms. While the Democrats already held the majority, Warnock's victory now gives the party an outright, 51-seat hold on the Senate.