Met als hoogtepunt (voormalig?) PvdA'er Plasterk die blijmoedig aan smeercampagnes meedoen. De Telegraaf als redder in informatienood, altijd aan de goede kant van de geschiedenis.

Israëlische organisatie brengt ngo’s via De Telegraaf in het nauw – en blijkt niet ‘onafhankelijk’ Beïnvloeding: NGO Monitor presenteert zich als een onafhankelijke organisatie die ngo’s controleert. Uit gehackte Israëlische overheidsmails blijkt dat het een instrument van de Israëlische overheid i...

De Telegraaf als propagandapamflet van de Israëlische overheid. Wie had dat niet gedacht?

En al die quasi wakkere Israël fans op Twitter super enthousiast achter de kolder aanhobbelen die de krant uitspuit. Het typeert.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

Henceforth, the OGP has decided to expell Georgia. Back in the first years after its founding in 2011, Georgia was cosndired one of the pioneering and innovative frontrunners of the process.

In 2016, Georgia became the OGP co-chair, and in 2017 it took over the chairmanship for a year.

These included to repell laws that restrict the rights of civil society, the media, and citizens; and protect freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and civil society activities from physical and other attacks.

Instead of the that, the government chose to make the situation worse.

The reason for the "temporary suspension" in 2023 was that Georgian Dream introduced laws intensified repression of civil society and the media.

The Georgian government was given two years to follow up on various recommendations.

Georgia ‘Permanently Suspended’ in Open Government Partnership - Civil Georgia Georgia has been "permanently suspended" in Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international plat

After a two yer suspension period, Georgia has now been expelled from the Open Government Platform, a collaboration of democracies and emerging economies that are committed to becoming more transparent and accountable to their citizens.
civil.ge/archives/731...

* map is of my making.

A few positive rural outliers are thinly populated Kazbeg, Mestia and Lentekhi.

The growth in Kazbeg (+30%!) and Mestia is mainly due to their respective "capitals": Stepantsminda and Mestia town.

The negative outliers are Khulo and Shuakhevi in Adjara (more than -25%).

As indicated, the population in majority of Georgian countryside has declined since 2014, despite the 6% total population growth.

This growth has manifested itself in the four main cities Tbilisi (+20%), Batumi (+54%), Kutaisi (+9%) and Rustavi (+6%).

The trends are also quite striking: both Tbilisi and Adjara +20% - in Adjara driven by Batumi. In nearly all other regions the population declined up to 10% (Guria).

Only Kvemo Kartli has an increase of population (+4.2%). There are a few other remarkable details to observe, but that is for later.

The strong increase of population of Tbilisi and Batumi compared to annual estimates also suggests this: many immigrants pick these cities. Both are booming.

In any case, how are the people distributed across the country? Tbilisi takes up an even larger share: nearly 34% of the national population.

The assumption is these people have been missed out due to the flexible de facto long-stay and lax immigration policies.

Many foreigners do not require to register via a residence permit, as a standard tourist stamp gives a one year permit to stay. This includes for Russians and Ukrainians.

The results exclude the occupied territories Abkhazia and "South Ossetia".

The total of 3.9 million is a surprise, as the annual estimates (built on the 2014 census) indicated a flatlining population of around 3.7 million (with a few ups and downs in recent years that neutered each other).

Final results of the 2024 census of Georgia have been published. Not in all details (villages etc), nor with explanations, but in any case the main summaries and totals.

Total population in mid-November 2024 was established at 3.929.581, an increase of 215.000 compared to the 2014 census (+5.8%).

Winnaar FVD lijkt nergens mee te doen in lokaal bestuur Dat blijkt uit een analyse van de NOS van de adviezen die tot nu toe in 94 'Forum-gemeenten' zijn uitgebracht door verkenners.

Kom op zeg, doe je wiskunde: ruim 200 zetels in ruim 100 gemeenten, met daarbij enkele uitschieters in grootte.

Kortom: meeste zijn een- of tweepersoonsfracties. Dan doe je bijna automatisch niet mee.

Dat hele frame "grote winnaar" is zo inaccuraat.
nos.nl/artikel/2611...

📸 mine during the spring 2024 protest season.

But just over three months later, the foreign agent law - of which GD knew very well this runs against EU path - was taken out of the bin and revived.

There could be only one reason for that: to derail the EU accession process ahead of the 2024 elections.

It set the mood for the rest of the year.

They covered this scheme with a mask of "we are doing everything we can", boasting about progress in European capitals with booklets (I have it here myself).👇

And dressing up a major party in Tbilisi on 15 December 2023 (was there myself).

While Georgian Dream framed the political opposition as the ones that "lobbied in Brussels" to prevent the candidate status, it was Georgian Dream that was seeking this rejection.

Everything points to this.

Ivanishvili did not want Georgia to get the EU candidate status. That is also why the government did not deliver on the 12 action points that Georgia originally had to implement (with the exception of three minor ones).

The plan to derail the process through this non-implemtation did not work.

#OTD two years ago. During the first wave of protests against the (2nd iteration) of the "Russian" foreign agent law.

The law was taken out of the bin only months after the EU granted Georgia the candidate status. It has since then my belief these two things have a strong link.

Als ik de sociale media moet geloven heeft men nog niks geleerd van de toeslagenaffaire.

Rob Jetten deed zijn best, maar kreeg zijn eigen D66 níét op een ander idee over de asielwetten D66 en CDA stemden tegen strenge asielwetten. De stemming onthult diepe verdeeldheid over asielbeleid binnen het minderheidskabinet Jetten.

Dualisme.

Helaas begrijpen veel mensen niet wat day betekent. Deze wetten deugden niet richting de uitvoering, zoals de D66 fractie aangaf. Dit is ook de taak van de Eerste Kamer. Niks politiek bedrijven, maar kwaliteit van wetten toetsen.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...

And that "law enforcement agencies have been freed from political influences and today serve the law and society".

Irakli Kobakhidze –14 years ago, on this day, a turning point occurred in the recent history of Georgia, the political union Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia was founded 14 years ago, on this day, a turning point occurred in the recent history of Georgia, the political union Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia was founded, - the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli...

Kobakhidze said that the legacy of 14 years Georgian Dream (the longest post-Soviet rule of a single party in Georgia) is that "public trust in institutions has increased and the justice system has become transparent and independent."🤔

www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/1...

The Free Democrats had left the government after two years already and the Republicans had internal discussions for the remainder of the term if they should follow that. They stuck to the government as they were granted powerful positions, but ultimately stepped out in winter 2016.

With two liberal parties (Republicans and Free Democrats) as the main drivers of pro-western policies and three small national-conservative parties.

Georgian Dream used this coalition to get electoral momentum. After four years it had served its purpose and it was dumped.

The shuffle comes when Georgian Dream celebrates its 14 years of formal existence. OTD in 2012 the party was formally founded, after Ivanishvili first founded it in November 2011 as a civil movement. Ahead of the 2012 elections the party formed the base of a 6-party "big-tent" coalition ...

His appointment triggered a carousel of positions, yet again in the security and internal affairs domain. Minister of internal affairs Geladze is appointed new head of state security, while the head of the Adjarian autonomous republic will be the new interior minister.

Mdinaradze is also made deputy prime minister. He been promoted in military ranks in lightning speed over the last year. Today he was given yet another rank, major general of state security.

It is quite obvious the executive secretary of Georgian Dream is being curated for the leadership.