Pro-Government TV Channels to Host GD-Proposed ‘Debates’

2026-02-02 - 11:57

Following Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s call to revive public debates, two major pro-government TV channels, Imedi TV and Rustavi 2, said they will host the discussions, with what appears to be limited participation from key opposition forces. Rustavi 2 is set to air the first debate at 10 p.m. on February 2, while Imedi TV said it will also begin weekly debates in February, with the exact date yet to be announced. On Rustavi 2, the moderator will be Rezo Chichinadze, who serves as deputy director of the channel and oversees its socio-political programming, and on Imedi, Magda Anikashvili, presenter of the late-night political program Imedi Live, which predominantly features Georgian Dream representatives, including MPs and ministers. Under the theme “Financial Transparency or Political Control?,” the first Rustavi 2 debate will include disputed Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, Georgian Dream’s offshoot People’s Power MP Sozar Subari, diplomat Kote Zghenti, opposition Girchi party leader Iago Khvichia, and Nino Chkhobadze, head of the environmental CSO Greens Movement of Georgia and a former environment minister under late President Eduard Shevardnadze. Rustavi 2 said that, following “two days of negotiations,” the parliamentary opposition For Georgia party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who is currently living in exile in Germany and faces criminal charges in Georgia, declined to participate in the debate. For Georgia said it was offered what it called a “farce” instead of real debates. “What Rustavi 2 offered us in the form of debates on February 2, where the [Georgian] Dream needs its own satellite parties’ presence, is a continuation of farce and propaganda instead of debates,” Gakharia-For Georgia said. “We are ready to sit down for debates in a one-on-one format or any other appropriate format in a live broadcast with representatives of the ruling party to discuss any relevant issue for the citizens of Georgia, on any television channel,” the statement added. Alongside Rustavi 2, Imedi TV also announced it is “preparing a new political format.” According to the channel, debates will begin in February and air weekly, offering what it called “substantive discussions on various issues important to society” and providing a “free platform to everyone ready for reasoned debate.” Kobakhidze’s appeal, made in a January 22 letter in which he called for “returning to the Georgian people the right to enjoy one of the fundamental principles of democracy – debate,” has drawn mixed reactions across the opposition spectrum. While some opposition figures have expressed a willingness to engage, including recently released Girchi-More Freedom leader Zurab Japaridze and Lelo party member Grigol Gegelia, others have rejected the initiative outright. Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, dismissed Kobakhidze’s proposal, saying, “Debates are not appropriate today.” She argued that any dialogue with the Georgian Dream must begin with the release of “political prisoners” and the repeal of repressive legislation. According to Zurabishvili, Kobakhidze’s calls for debate are intended to create “yet another subject of confrontation” within the opposition. Opposition United National Movement member Khatia Dekanoidze echoed the criticism, saying, “People who seriously talk about democracy and genuine political debates do not lock their political opponents in prison.” Also Read: 03/06/2025 – Georgian Dream Targets Critical Broadcasters for Questioning Government Legitimacy 06/12/2024 – Irakli Kobakhidze Vows to ‘ Completely Neutralize’ Opposition