Ivanishvili may be under pressure amid Georgia’s ‘criminal enclave’, Khukhashvili

Political analyst Gia Khukhashvili has suggested that Georgia’s billionaire and former Prime Minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, could be subject to shaming or coercion from his opponents amid the current political climate.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Khukhashvili said the situation in Georgia reflected criminal disputes rather than democratic processes. He noted that some mistakes by Ivanishvili may have given his political adversaries leverage over him.

“I do not rule out that Bidzina Ivanishvili himself is under some form of pressure because, due to significant mistakes of his own, his opponents have gained things that allow them to influence him,” Khukhashvili said. “A year ago I thought this was impossible, but age takes its toll, and he no longer analyses things as sharply as before.”

Khukhashvili warned that Georgia is no longer functioning as a normal state. “We live in a territorial construct that has become criminal, so far operating in a cold‑war mode, but tomorrow it could escalate. We exist in a criminal enclave -  court proceedings are small and constrained,” he said.