I was filled with hope when I first saw the exit polls of the Georgian election, last October 26. The opposition poised to win 51.9% of the vote whilst Georgian Dream, the party in power in the last 12 years, trailed at 40.9%. It felt like this could be the turning point we had all been waiting for—the end of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s stranglehold on the country. His growing ties to Russia, his anti-Western populist rhetoric… his time was finally up.
But then, as always, the oligarch did what he does best: he pulled the rug out from under us.
As the day wore on, hope was replaced by a sense of crushing powerlessness. Thousands of miles away, as an international student, I was unable to help or even be present for my homeland in its most critical moment. The distance between us, both physical and emotional, grew wider than it ever had since I left just a month ago, and it hurt.
On October 26, they sold and destroyed my country. It only took a few steps for the oligarch to dismantle the spark of resistance, crushing the hope of those who dared to stand against him. To steal my country, dismantle the spark of resistance, crushing the hope of those who dared to stand against him, the oligarch played hardball.
Carousel voting— a blatant cheating technique mostly used in former USSR autocracies, where buses take voters from one polling station to the next to cast multiple ballots—was only the beginning. Voting for Ivanishvili was turned into an act of survival for public sector voters who faced threats of job loss or legal consequences.
In rural areas, Georgian Dream capitalised on the large-scale poverty it failed to solve through large-scale bribery. Then, there was systematic disenfranchisement: ID cards confiscated from opposition supporters, leaving them voiceless. And if that wasn’t enough, ghost voters haunted the roll: dead people’s votes were used to undermine the living people’s cry for change. A mockery of democracy.
But there was one place where Georgian Dream couldn’t tamper with the results: abroad. Georgians living outside the country’s overwhelming support of opposition parties (86.7%) was a slap in the face to the ruling regime.
Of course, they belittled us, dismissing us as ‘uninformed immigrants’, ‘foreigners’, and worse. By undermining our voices, they hoped to silence us: their real wear was that the diaspora would unite with dissidents at home and expose the depths of their corruption to the world.
This is exactly what the UCL Georgian Society tries to do. As an international student, I couldn’t stand idly by, so I joined them.
In English to reach a global audience, we shed light on the manipulation and lies used by those in power, to raise awareness.
Our fight should be yours too: it goes well beyond Georgia, it’s also the fight for the whole region’s future: for your security. Russia and its increasing influence are at the doors of Europe where countries such as Georgia and Ukraine stand.
Thus, informing students is crucial. The more we understand these dynamics, the more we can prevent the spread of authoritarianism and ensure a safer, democratic Europe for future generations.
Georgian Soc’s first event of the year, “Georgia’s Future: Post-Election Analysis,“ featured Professor Andre Wilson and Oxford PhD candidate Mega Kartsivadze. The turnout was incredible—110 people, both in-person and online—Georgians eager to understand the future of their country after the elections. When I saw this many people come together, I felt a surge of hope again. It reminded me that, despite being far from home, I wasn’t alone in caring about the fate of my homeland. The distance I had felt earlier seemed a little smaller, as if the shared passion and commitment of those around me could bridge the gap.
What we do is small, but it’s a start. We’re telling the world the story they don’t want to be told, one event and one Instagram post at a time.
We share our anger, our frustrations, but also our vision for a future where democracy isn’t a hollow promise.
Together, we’re showing that the fight for democracy doesn’t end when we leave the country to study abroad. Whether in Tbilisi or London, we are standing up for what’s right. I have to remain optimistic for Georgia’s future, because I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I will continue to fight. It’s my country, I love it and I will not give it up to corrupt oligarchs.
The UCL Georgian Society is a society affiliated with Students’ Union UCL. Follow them on Instagram at @uclgeorgiansoc.
