Prepared by Messenger Staff
Opposition Leader Gedevan Popkhadze Begins Hunger Strike Demanding New Elections
Opposition politician Gedevan Popkhadze, a leader of the Coalition for Change, announced on Tuesday that he is beginning a hunger strike, calling it "the most extreme form of protest" against what he described as the government's slide toward dictatorship.
Popkhadze's protest was joined by Darejan Tskhvitaria and several others, who also declared a hunger strike. Their main demands are the release of political prisoners and the scheduling of new parliamentary elections.
"A reality has been created where protest participants are arrested every day. The country is taking big steps toward dictatorship," Popkhadze said. "The only thing that will stop this process is a new form of protest. If we do not agree that there should be no parliament elected through rigged elections and no political prisoners in the country, the country cannot develop."
He argued that traditional demonstrations, such as street blockades, are no longer enough. "Blocking streets is not the only form of protest we should use. We must create a new center of protest through a hunger strike. What the government is doing in response to blocking Rustaveli Avenue must be countered with a new form of protest," he said.
"This is not a radically new form, but it is effective. In my opinion, it is adequate given the situation created by the government," Popkhadze added.
Georgia's Central Bank Boosts Reserves with USD 100 Million Purchase in September
The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) announced that it purchased USD 100 million in September, bringing the country's total international reserves to more than USD 5.4 billion.
According to updated NBG data, the central bank made monthly purchases of USD 101.7 million in March, USD 266.4 million in April, USD 245.4 million in May, USD 266 million in June, USD 416.9 million in July, USD 199.6 million in August, and USD 100 million in September, all conducted through the Bmatch trading platform. Between January and September 2025, the Bank recorded net foreign currency purchases of USD 1.6 billion.
"International foreign currency reserves are a significant guarantor of the country's macroeconomic stability," the NBG said in a statement on October 27, adding that it increases reserves "when the market allows it." The Bank noted that updated data on foreign exchange operations will be released on November 25, 2025.
The consistent buildup of reserves follows extensive foreign currency sales in 2024, when the central bank sold more than USD 900 million amid mass protests against the Foreign Agents Law in the spring and again in the fall during the pre-election period. In October 2024, during the general elections, the NBG sold USD 591 million to prevent a sharp depreciation of the lari, marking a record USD 630 million decline in reserves in a single month, the largest in the Bank's history.
