A new type of de‐democratisation: the influence of Covid‐19 pandemics on the democratic backsliding of Georgia

Abstract

This thesis aims to study and analyse the dynamics of democratic backsliding in Georgia during the Covid‐19 pandemic in 2020 while focusing mainly on government activities and initiatives. Since 2012, when the Georgian Dream political party secured a sweeping victory in the Parliamentary Elections, Georgia had found herself on the track of democratic backsliding, which continued up to 2020, when the country was plunged into Covid‐19 management. Since the beginning of the Covid‐19 pandemic, the Georgian government has got access to excessive emergency power first by imposing the State of Emergency and then making some of the most controversial and anti‐constitutional amendments within the law, which included not only the amending the existing laws, but also introducing the regulations, decrees, and restrictions. To achieve this goal of the paper and answer the research question ‐ Has Covid‐19 accelerated the democratic backsliding process in Georgia in 2020, and how? – I will try to provide an empirical study analysing the pandemic‐related developments in Georgia in 2020. To reach the paper’s objectives, I will study and analyse the laws, regulations, decrees, and restrictions issued in connection with Covid‐19 management. First, I will provide the background context and the theoretical framework for the study. Then, the thesis will feature the methodological chapter, breaking down all the steps and methods I plan to employ. The final chapters will be dedicated to the empirical findings and conclusion.