Political clash heats up in Georgia in the run-up to the October parliamentary elections. The opposition is looking to Europe, while the ruling leadership is aiming for control of the country (and a new balancing act between Russia and the EU, on the Hungarian model). In the background is Ivanišvili's role between the public sphere and private interests.

Tbilisi's turn towards Moscow also threatens to have repercussions on the gas pipelines that connect Azerbaijan to Europe by crossing its territory. And Armenia, which is trying to break away from Russia, could also lose its most important ally.

Controversial law ‘on the transparency of foreign influences’ promulgated, the ruling Georgian Dream party promises to ‘ferret out all foreign agents, traitors and spies’ starting with the ‘young people enlisted’ to stage the uprising. The walls of the houses of the deputies who voted for the measure are daubed with the words ‘slaves’. Opposition forces also denounce threats and intimidation.

Despite the Georgian Dream's show of strength with the final approval, the demonstrators had a chance to show the ‘European face’ of Tbilisi. Many hope that the measure might not be implemented, to avoid sanctions from Washington and Brussels. Awaiting the October elections.

In Tbilisi, the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party call the demonstrators 'radicals' and even 'Satanists'. The patriarchate openly supports the government, which is committed to fighting 'the imposition of foreign, unusual and dangerous ideologies on the country's population. But the archbishop of Dmanisi, Zenon Iaradžuli, has asked not to approve the law, which could also harm some Church-related NGOs.

Opposition protests continue in Georgia even during the Easter days after the second reading of the law on ‘foreign influences’ was approved. The law is expected to be reviewed by the parliament's legal committee for final confirmation. A situation that risks suspending the country's status as a candidate country for entry into the European Union.