Fears and hopes of Tbilisi's Generation Z ahead of Georgia's elections - October 2024
Photographs and text by Sara Nicomedi and Valerio Muscella
As Georgia prepares to face upcoming general elections amid deep political and social instability, Tbilisi's Generation Z youth find themselves suspended between a strong hope for change and the fear of a crisis that could exacerbate deep rifts in the country.
In a city that represents the beating heart of Georgia, a former Soviet republic of some 4 million people, many young people feel a deep desire for self-determination and freedom, and they look to the European Union with hope. Especially the Gen Z, youngsters born roughly between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, who make up an estimated 700,000 people, or about 20-25% of the population.
For many, Europe symbolizes a beacon of stability and security amid an increasingly turbulent geopolitical environment, where the influence of Russia remains ever-present. In Georgia, members of Generation Z have grown up with stories of the 1992 and 2008 wars—conflicts that resulted in the loss of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and left the nation destabilized. These narratives often recount experiences of displacement, fueling a new fear that Georgia could face a fate similar to Ukraine's after 2022. When the ruling Georgian Dream party passed the "foreign bill" in the spring of 2024—mandating media outlets and NGOs to register as "acting in the interests of a foreign power" if over 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad—it sparked widespread concern among pro-Western Georgians that the government might be veering away from European aspirations.
In response, a large wave of protesters took to the streets, with the majority being Gen Z youth like Tamuna, who never missed a demonstration; Zhorzh, who organized an awareness movement of university students; and Lela, a journalist and winemaker who believes that these elections will be crucial in shaping her future and will have to decide whether to stay or leave the country.
At the same time, young people find themselves at odds with the most conservative segments of Georgian society: while they aspire to a more open and modern Georgia, they clash with traditionalist forces, including the Orthodox Church or conservative nationalist groups, creating internal tension where the desire for closer ties with the West conflicts with the traditions and expectations upheld by previous generations.
Despite these challenges, young people in Tbilisi show an extraordinary determination and they look ahead to the October 2024 elections with a mixture of anxiety and hope. Some, like Sof and Salome are more optimistic and proactive, prepared to engage more deeply in political activism if the results do not meet their expectations. Others, like Ana, an LGBTQI+ rights activist, are deeply concerned, believing that "whatever the result, it will be a huge crisis”.
