Will Georgia’s presidential election test its EU ties?

Today Radio Schuman dives into this weekend’s presidential election in Georgia with Euronews on the ground correspondent in Tblisi, Nuka Kekelia, asking what’s at stake for the country’s ties with the EU.

Georgia has recently experienced weeks of protests following parliamentary elections that secured a win for the ruling Georgian Dream party. In the aftermath, the party announced plans to suspend efforts to join the European Union.

Although the presidency in Georgia is largely ceremonial, this election is significant as it marks the first time since the 2017 constitutional reforms that the president will be chosen by parliament rather than by popular vote. The current president, Salome Zourabichvili, represents the pro-EU opposition and has consistently criticised Georgian Dream as more equivocal towards the EU. Zourabichvili has refused to recognise the results of the parliamentary elections and pledged to remain in office until new elections are held.

Georgian Dream has nominated Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player with Eurosceptic views, as its presidential candidate.

In the second segment of the podcast, we look at some details of a vote on human trafficking among EU ministers.

In the last part of the show, Radio Schuman tells you about the new code of conduct for the upcoming Eurovision.

Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by  David Brodheim and Georgios Leivaditis. Music by Alexandre Jas.