This article is published as part of a partnership with OC Media. You can read the original English version here.
Zurab Makharadze, the leader of the US-sanctioned pro-Russian and far-right party “Conservatives for Georgia”, has met with the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Shio III. According to Makharadze, the meeting addressed issues of constitutional monarchy — likely in the Georgian context — demographics, abortion, surrogacy, and “attacks on religious feelings”.
Makharadze posted photos and a brief summary of the meeting on social media on Wednesday, noting that he had received the patriarch’s “blessing” to “discuss and work on” the topics raised during the meeting.
“Intense meetings with both laypeople and clergy will continue,” he added.
The Patriarchate itself has not reported on the meeting. The latest posts on its official social media pages concerned Shio III’s meeting with the French Ambassador to Georgia, Olivier Courto, as well as talks with representatives of the Catholic Church. Both meetings were dated Thursday — the day after the patriarch’s conversation with Makharadze.
OC Media contacted the Patriarchate’s press service for comment, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Shio III was elected in May 2026, nearly two months after the death of his predecessor, Ilia II. In a sermon delivered a few days after his enthronement, the patriarch condemned abortion and called for stricter legislation against what he termed “gender ideology”.
“Conservatives for Georgia” represents the political wing of the pro-Russian far-right group Alt Info, an organization founded by Makharadze and other close associates. The group is known for organizing the homophobic riots on 5 July 2021 and mass attacks on media representatives, during which more than 50 journalists were injured — one of whom, camera operator Aleksandre (Lekso) Lashkarava, died six days later.
Alt Info established its first political party in November 2021 under the name “Conservative Movement”, declaring its readiness for “partnership and allied relations” with Moscow. However, amid deteriorating relations with the authorities, the party was liquidated in April 2024 due to technical reasons, which prevented it from participating in the parliamentary elections in October of that year.
Later, Alt Info was forced to run in the elections on the party list of another ultra-conservative and pro-Russian force, the “Alliance of Patriots”, which, according to the Central Election Commission, won 2.4% of the vote in the disputed elections, failing to clear the 5% threshold.
A month before the vote, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on the co-founders of Alt Info, including Makharadze and Konstantine Morgoshia. The department stated that Makharadze was “one of the most active promoters of violence against peaceful protesters and marginalized groups in Georgia.”
The deterioration of relations with local authorities and the banning of the Alt Info party were accompanied by an intensification of conservative-populist, anti-Western, and homophobic rhetoric from the ruling Georgian Dream party. Against this backdrop, Alt Info representatives claimed that Georgian Dream was trying to hijack the conservative electorate, effectively squeezing them out of the political arena.
Alt Info’s new party, “Conservatives for Georgia”, was registered by the National Agency of Public Registry only in April 2025 after lengthy delays.
In the October 2025 municipal elections, which were boycotted by several opposition parties, Makharadze ran for mayor of Tbilisi, promising to focus on the “real problems” of the people, including, in his words, “mass migration” and the “catastrophic demographic situation”.
According to the official results, he received 12,370 votes (4.11%).
