Overview

• Voters cast ballots for municipal councils as many opposition groups boycotted and called street protests.
• Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze warned of a hard police response and said opponents’ “revolution attempts” would fail.
• Amnesty International said the vote occurred in a climate of political repression, with rights groups reporting about 60 detentions of opposition figures, journalists and activists over the past year.
• The contest is the first national test for Georgian Dream since the disputed 2024 parliamentary election that spurred months of pro‑EU rallies, whose turnout has recently dwindled.
• Jailed ex‑president Mikheil Saakashvili urged supporters to treat the vote as a last chance to defend democracy, as critics accuse the government of tilting toward Russia, a charge officials deny.