DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS Georgia’s post-Soviet experience of democracy continues to shape the dominant model of party for­mation to the present day, with most new entrants to the party system lacking deep roots in civil society and typically being led by individual‘entrepreneurs’. „STAYING POWER“ Accounting for Ephemerality in the Georgian Party System Since 2012 Georgia’s particular legacy of in­stability and insecurity incentiviz­es opportunistic, oligarchic be­havior among leaders. This results in almost institutionalized cycles of conflict and cleavage, resulting in even more new parties whose fate is skewed towards ephem­erality. Joseph Alexander Smith December 2021 Although new parties continue to emerge and develop according to this established model, the exam­ple of Girchi – before its acrimoni­ous split in December 2021 – shows that party-building within the system can be done different­ly. Programmatic distinctiveness, sustained legislative campaigning outside of electoral cycles, linkage to civil society movements, focus on a defined electorate and inno­vative party-building strategies can all help achieve sustainability.