Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has become a strong critic of the ruling populist Georgian Dream government, has announced her intention to present a technocratic government ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

She could appoint this cabinet to take over in the period before a coalition government formed by opposition parties could be agreed, which could prevent an attempt by the ruling party to stay in power and subvert the election result. The technocratic government could also stay in power long enough to ensure Georgia fulfilled the conditions to begin negotiations to join the EU.

Opinion polls ahead of the election on October 26 indicate the result could be very close and could depend on all the opposition parties co-operating to oust Georgian Dream.

She has also again urged the main opposition alliances to confirm their support for the Georgian Charter she has put together. The charter outlines an action plan to guide Georgia toward European integration and away from Russian influence. Zurabishvili, who was initially backed by Georgian Dream, has turned against the party because of what she sees as its shift towards Russia and authoritarianism.

She has met with the four major pro-European political parties – Unity to Save Georgia, Coalition for Changes, Strong Georgia and For Georgia – to reaffirm their commitment to the charter. She urged political parties to formally endorse the charter's principles before the elections, stressing that the country’s stability and progress depend on this commitment.

So far the opposition alliances have backed the charter but they have  not agreed to her plan for an interim technocratic government. They all oppose Georgian Dream but have found it difficult to form a united front against the ruling party.

Speaking at the Orbeliani Palace on October 12, Zurabishvili stressed that the proposed technocratic government would focus solely on implementing the charter’s objectives.

Zurabishvili also emphasised that European leaders have pledged to advance Georgia's EU membership path if the charter is fulfilled. The EU has in effect frozen Georgia's application for membership following several steps that contradict EU values, such as Russian-style laws targeting NGOs and stigmatising LGBTQ people.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on October 15 she said “the means of winning the election [by Georgian Dream] are rigging the elections. That has started.”

She also said she doubted the opposition parties would be able to form a coalition government in the two weeks allowed by the constitution after election results are certified. An interim administration would give clarity to voters, she argued. 

She also declined to comment on speculation that she could lead this interim government, but said: “In this country you don’t rule anything out, ever.”