Election results should never be a foregone conclusion, and democratic upsets are a healthy feature of the system. Nonetheless, when the incumbent pro-Russian governing party in Georgia declared itself the winner of national elections on 26 October, with some 54% of the vote, there was a massive outcry: polls had predicted a win for the opposition. This is a huge setback for the cause of democracy in the state — and the region, given that just a week earlier, a referendum on European integration in Moldova had ended with a tiny margin of victory for the pro-EU camp when a near landslide had been predicted. The tentacles of autocracy are clearly reaching far and wide, tightening their grip upon the states surrounding Ukraine and bordering Europe — threatening both. To delve into these issues, Ilana Bet-El is joined by Salome Samadashvili, opposition Member of Parliament in Georgia, and Tinatin Japaridze, member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network (YGLN) and Eurasia Analyst at the Eurasia Group. This is a hard-hitting discussion on Georgia, the region, autocracy and democracy, covered with clarity, intellect and empathy. This episode was recorded on 31 October 2024 Mentions and further resources Salome’s previous episode Georgia on the edgeTinatin’s book Stalin’s Millennials: Nostalgia, Trauma and NationalismFollow our guests Tinatin Japaridze LinkedIn, X/Twitter,  Eurasie websiteSalome Samadashvil LinkedIn; X/TwitterYou can also follow us Instagram @women_leaders_podcastOur partner European Leadership Network social media Twitter, LinkedIn & FacebookOur partner European Leadership Network websiteIlana Bet-ElCredits Production**:** Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.