INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Georgia has no plans to restore diplomatic relations with Russia due to Moscow's ongoing presence in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia
has provided military, diplomatic and economic backing to Abkhazia and South Ossetia since Moscow defeated Tbilisi in a five-day war in
result that opposition parties dispute.Georgia was gripped by mass demonstrations earlier this year against what the opposition saw as
government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of 4 million off its pro-Western course and towards Russia's
orbit.In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda.But it has reversed course over the last two
years.Its campaign centered on a conspiracy theory about a "global war party" that controls Western institutions and is seeking to drag
Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine war.In a country scarred by Russia's 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters bogeyman stories about an
imminent threat of war which only Georgian Dream could prevent.Georgian Dream's controversial "foreign influence" law which targeted civil
society sparked weeks of street protests and was criticized as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.The move prompted Brussels to
freeze Georgia's EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.AFP contributed reporting.
