Georgia’s ruling party dominates Facebook political ad spending, data shows

Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, has emerged as the top spender on Facebook political advertising in the country over the past three months, according to Meta’s Ad Library.

Kobakhidze’s official page spent over $40,000 on political ads during the period, outpacing his own party, Georgian Dream, which followed closely with approximately $35,500 in spending.

The Georgian government’s official page also made the list, recording $21,357 in spending, while Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili’s page accounted for $14,451. Three pages affiliated with the pro-government media outlet POSTV were also among the top seven, further underscoring the ruling party’s broad digital strategy.

The data was first compiled by disinformation researcher Nino Rizhamadze, who noted that the seven top-spending pages together accounted for $169,500. According to Rizhamadze, additional spending by Georgian Dream-affiliated platforms may bring the total up by another $20,000.

“Georgian Dream, which avoids direct engagement with the public, has taken refuge in Facebook’s echo chambers,” Rizhamadze wrote. “They filter out dissenting voices to ensure only their narrative is heard. The frustration many feel today is often a manufactured product of targeted political advertising.”

Among the top ten political advertisers, only two pages were unaffiliated with Georgian Dream – Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the opposition Lelo party, spent $11,378, while the civic movement Protest 24 spent just over $10,000.