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Georgia's October 2013 Presidential Election: Outcome and Implications
Georgia’s October 2013 Presidential Election: Outcome and Implications Jim Nichol Specialist in Russian and Eurasian Affairs November 4, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov R43299 Georgia’s October 2013 Presidential Election: Outcome and Implications Summary This report discusses Georgia’s October 27, 2013, presidential election and its implications for U.S. interests. The election took place one year after a legislative election that witnessed the mostly peaceful shift of legislative and ministerial power from the ruling party, the United National Movement (UNM), to the Georgia Dream (GD) coalition bloc. The newly elected president, Giorgi Margvelashvili of the GD, will have fewer powers under recently approved constitutional changes. Most observers have viewed the 2013 presidential election as marking Georgia’s further progress in democratization, including a peaceful shift of presidential power from UNM head Mikheil Saakashvili to GD official Margvelashvili. Some analysts, however, have raised concerns over ongoing tensions between the UNM and GD, as well as Prime Minister and GD head Bidzini Ivanishvili’s announcement on November 2, 2013, that he will step down as the premier. In his victory speech on October 28, Margvelashvili reaffirmed Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic foreign policy orientation, including the pursuit of Georgia’s future membership in NATO and the EU. At the same time, he reiterated that GD would continue to pursue the normalization of ties with Russia. On October 28, 2013, the U.S. State Department praised the Georgian presidential election as generally democratic and expressing the will of the people, and as demonstrating Georgia’s continuing commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration. -
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION in GEORGIA 27Th October 2013
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN GEORGIA 27th October 2013 European Elections monitor The candidate in office, Giorgi Margvelashvili, favourite in the Presidential Election in Georgia Corinne Deloy Translated by Helen Levy On 27th October next, 3,537,249 Georgians will be electing their president of the republic. The election is important even though the constitutional reform of 2010 deprived the Head of State of some of his powers to be benefit of the Prime Minister and Parliament (Sakartvelos Parlamenti). The President of the Republic will no longer be able to dismiss the government and convene a new Analysis cabinet without parliament’s approval. The latter will also be responsible for appointing the regional governors, which previously lay within the powers of the President of the Republic. The constitutional reform which modified the powers enjoyed by the head of State was approved by the Georgian parliament on 21st March last 135 votes in support, i.e. all of the MPs present. The outgoing President, Mikheil Saakashvili (United National Movement, ENM), in office since the election on 4th January 2004 cannot run for office again since the Constitution does not allow more than two consecutive mandates. Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia in coalition with Mikheil Saakashvili. 10 have been appointed by politi- Our Georgia-Free Democrats led by former representa- cal parties, 13 by initiative groups. 54 people registe- tive of Georgia at the UN, Irakli Alasania, the Republi- red to stand in all. can Party led by Davit Usupashvili, the National Forum The candidates are as follows: led by Kakha Shartava, the Conservative Party led by Zviad Dzidziguri and Industry will save Georgia led by – Giorgi Margvelashvili (Georgian Dream-Democratic Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has been in office Georgia), former Minister of Education and Science and since the general elections on 1st October 2012. -
Survey on Political Attitudes August 2020 Demographics 1. There Are A
Survey on Political Attitudes August 2020 Demographics 1. There are a number of ethnic groups living in Georgia. Which ethnic group do you consider yourself a part of? [Interviewer! Do not read. One answer only.] Armenian 1 Azerbaijani 2 Georgian 3 Other Caucasian ethnicity (Abkhazian, Lezgin, Ossetian, etc.) 4 Russian 5 Kurd or Yezidi 6 Other ethnicity 7 (Don’t know) -1 (Refuse to answer) -2 2. What is the highest level of education you have achieved to date? [Interviewer! Do not read. Correspond.] 1 Did not obtain a nine year diploma 2 Nine year diploma 3 High school diploma (11 or 12 years) 4 Vocational/technical degree 5 Bachelor’s degree/5 years diploma 6 Any degree above bachelor’s (Don’t know) -1 (Refuse to answer) -2 3. Which of the following best describes your situation? Please tell me about the activity that you consider to be primary. [Interviewer! Read out. Only one answer that corresponds with the respondent’s main activity.] I am retired and do not work 1 I am a student and do not work 2 I am a housewife and do not work 3 I am unemployed 4 I work full or part-time, including seasonal 5 jobs I am self-employed, including seasonal jobs 6 I am disabled and cannot work 7 Other 8 (Don’t know) -1 (Refuse to answer) -2 4. How often do you use the Internet? Do you use the Internet … [READ OUT] Every day, 1 At least once a week, 2 At least once a month, 3 Less often, 4 or Never? 5 [DO NOT READ] I don’t know what the Internet is. -
Country of Origin Information Report Republic of Georgia 25 November
REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) REPORT Country of Origin Information Service 25 November 2010 GEORGIA 25 NOVEMBER 2010 Contents Preface Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................ 1.01 Maps ...................................................................................................................... 1.05 2. ECONOMY ................................................................................................................ 2.01 3. HISTORY .................................................................................................................. 3.01 Post-communist Georgia, 1990-2003.................................................................. 3.02 Political developments, 2003-2007...................................................................... 3.03 Elections of 2008 .................................................................................................. 3.05 Presidential election, January 2008 ................................................................... 3.05 Parliamentary election, May 2008 ...................................................................... 3.06 Armed conflict with Russia, August 2008 .......................................................... 3.09 Developments following the 2008 armed conflict.............................................. 3.10 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .......................................................................................... -
Digital Messenger
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 The Messenger P3 “Impartial, Informative, Insightful” GEL 3.00 The #214 (4771) Messenger MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 WWW.MESSENGER.COM.GE Politics Rallies continue in Georgia, as Over six thousand cases reported in Georgia over opposition meets with the ruling party the weekend Total of 703 people have died in Georgia because of Covid-19 FULL STORY ON Page 2 Economics Tonino Guerra’s Forgotten Fruit Alley organized at the Georgian National Botanic Garden *** Georgia’s exports decrease by 2.2% Exports of goods from Georgia in October 2020 amounted to $312.6 million FULL STORY ON Page 3 The meeting between the two sides was held at the US Ambassador’s residence BY NIKA GAMTSEMLIDZE the Ambassador of the United States to ber 12, the second one- on Saturday, No- said that the conversation did not have Georgia Kelly Degnan. The meeting was vember 14. The dialogue participants any particular outcome and the positions he second meeting of the represen also attended by the Ambassador of the haven’t shared the details but stated the of the sides are still very different. Ttatives of the Georgian Dream and European Union to Georgia Carl Hartzell. dialogue would continue. Japaridze said the opposition is standing opposition was held at the residence of The first meeting was held on Novem- The leader of Girchi Zurab Japaridze its ground and demands snap elections. Archil Talakvadze, a Georgian Dream representative, confirmed that the dia- logue will continue. He stated that this time around, there is more chance for stability in the country. -
Monitoring the Implementation of the Code of Conduct by Political Parties in Georgia
REPORT MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT BY POLITICAL PARTIES IN GEORGIA PREPARED BY GEORGIAN INSTITUTE OF POLITICS - GIP MAY 2021 ABOUT The Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) is a Tbilisi-based non-profit, non-partisan, research and analysis organization. GIP works to strengthen the organizational backbone of democratic institutions and promote good governance and development through policy research and advocacy in Georgia. It also encourages public participation in civil society- building and developing democratic processes. The organization aims to become a major center for scholarship and policy innovation for the country of Georgia and the wider Black sea region. To that end, GIP is working to distinguish itself through relevant, incisive research; extensive public outreach; and a bold spirit of innovation in policy discourse and political conversation. This Document has been produced with the financial assistance of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the GIP and can under no circumstance be regarded as reflecting the position of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. © Georgian Institute of Politics, 2021 13 Aleksandr Pushkin St, 0107 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel: +995 599 99 02 12 Email: [email protected] For more information, please visit www.gip.ge Photo by mostafa meraji on Unsplash TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 KEY FINDINGS 7 INTRODUCTION 8 METHODOLOGY 11 POLITICAL CONTEXT OF 2020 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS AND PRE-ELECTION ENVIRONMENT -
Technocratic Populism in Hybrid Regimes: Georgia on My Mind and in My Pocket
Politics and Governance (ISSN: 2183–2463) 2020, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 580–589 DOI: 10.17645/pag.v8i4.3370 Article Technocratic Populism in Hybrid Regimes: Georgia on My Mind and in My Pocket David Aprasidze 1,* and David S. Siroky 2,3 1 School of Arts and Sciences, Ilia State University, 0162 Tbilisi, Georgia; E-Mail: [email protected] 2 School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 3 Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Science, 110 00 Prague, Czech Republic * Corresponding author Submitted: 16 June 2020 | Accepted: 24 September 2020 | Published: 17 December 2020 Abstract Most studies of technocratic populism have focused on democracies under stress (e.g., Italy, Czech Republic). This article builds on and extends these studies by analyzing a hybrid regime—post-Soviet Georgia—and argues that technocratic pop- ulism in this context is utilized as a façade to cover authoritarian and oligarchic tendencies, while suspending (or reversing) democratization efforts. The state apparatus is weaponized against current and potential political opponents. Ideology is irrelevant, loyalty is key, and passivity is encouraged. The government aims to chip away at institutional checks and bal- ances, and to demobilize the public by undermining confidence in the country’s representative institutions while increasing dependence on experienced personalities, the ‘can do experts.’ The result is most often a stable partial-reform equilibrium. We illustrate this argument with evidence from Georgia, where Bidzina Ivanishvili, the richest man in the country, came to power in 2012 and, despite not holding any official position in the government since 2013, has run the state as a firm. -
The Relevance of the Actual Values of the Political Actors of Georgia with the Ideologies Declared by Them
The Relevance of the Actual Values of the Political Actors of Georgia with the Ideologies Declared by Them Dr. Maia Urushadze1, Dr. Tamar Kiknadze2 1Caucasus International University 2Head of the Doctoral Program in Political Science, Caucasus International University Abstract The permanent ideological impact of the propaganda narratives of powerful political entities on the international community is perceived as one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. The international agenda is full of controversial interpretations, produced by powerful international political actors. As a result, the international media agenda is getting like the battlespace for the struggle of interpretations, where the ruthless kind of "frame-games" between the strongest global agenda-setting political entities takes place. The information field is open for all countries, including the small states, where political parties are not strong enough to have their propaganda to resist the ideological pressure from outside. Due to this, the societies of these countries are still easily influenced by the narratives of global political actors creating a suitable psychological environment for internal conflicts in societies. We consider Georgia among these states. Therefore, our research aimed to study the relevance of the actual values of local (Georgian) political actors with the ideologies declared by them. In this regard, our primary objective was to understand the specifics of strategic communication of local political actors, then, to compare their narratives with the rhetoric of international actors, and finally, to determine the strength of local society's resistance to these narratives. We hope that in this way we can assess the long-term impact of global actors’ propaganda communication could have on a small country. -
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Georgia | No 3 | June to July 2007 GEORGIA | Trends in Conflict and Cooperation The period under review was mostly dominated by the up and down of Russian-Georgian relations. After a bilateral meeting between President Putin and President Saakshvili in St. Petersburg on 9 June, a slight stabilization appeared in bilateral relations. Russia – still Georgia’s second largest trading partner – seemed to be easing the pressure on Russian-Georgian relations not only because of the WTO accession plan, but also because of the Olympic Winter Games to be held in Sochi in 2014. But this improvement in Russian-Georgian relations did not suit everyone, especially not separatist parties, which may be one of the reasons why in June “unknown persons” fired several times Country Stability and Conflictive Events in South Ossetia on Georgian and South Ossetian villages. As can be seen on the graph, additional tensions grew in summer paralleling the water shortage problem in the Tskhinvali region, which happens every summer since 2004. As usual, political figures in Russia and in the unrecognized republics immediately expressed concern that the escalation of tensions in the conflict zone signalizes a new Georgian attempt to restore its hegemony over South Ossetia by force of arms. Relations between Georgia and Russia worsened further after the publication of the last UNOMIG report issued on 12 July. The report suggested, but did not explicitly claim, that Russian army helicopters could have been involved in an attack on Tbilisi- controlled upper Kodori Gorge on 11 March 2007. Soon after, the Russian Foreign Source: FAST event data Ministry stated that “it is clear which side has been interested in the incident. -
Recent Elections in Georgia: at Long Last, Stability?
Recent Elections in Georgia: At long Last, Stability? DARRELL SLIDER G eorgia held its fourth contested parliamentary elections 31 October 1999 (the fifth, if one includes the 1918 multiparty elections that produced a Social Democratic government that was forced into exile by the Red Army in 1921) and its fourth presidential election on 9 April 2000. Press reports emphasized the endorsement the elections provided to President Eduard Shevardnadze and his party, the Citizens' Union of Georgia, which won a clear majority in the parlia- ment. At the same time, both the parliamentary and presidential elections were marred by heavy-handed manipulation of the political atmosphere preceding the balloting. The parliamentary elections also continued a troubling trend in Geor- gian politics: the exclusion of significant segments of the political spectrum from representation in the legislature. Perhaps more than any other former Soviet republic, Georgia has emphasized the development of political parties. Party list voting is the chief method for choosing members of parliament: lince 1992, 150 of 235 parliamentarians have been chosen by proportional voting.' The remainder, just over one-third, are cho- sen from single-member districts that correspond to Soviet-era administrative entities.2 Each election, however, has taken place under a different set of rules, which has had a major impact on the composition of the parliament. The party list system was also employed in November 1998 to choose local councils. In theory, a party list system should contribute to the formation of strong par- ties and a more stable party system. In practice, however, Georgian political par- ties remain highly personalized and organizationally weak. -
Hate Speech in Pre-Election Discourse, Presidential Elections 2018
Hate Speech in Pre-Election Discourse Presidential Elections 2018 Author: Tina Gogoladze Editor: Tamar Kintsurashvili Monitoring by Tamar Gagniashvili, Khatia Lomidze, Mariam Tskhovrebashvili, Sopo Chkhaidze Designed by Mariam Tsutskiridze The report Hate Speech in Pre-Election Discourse has been prepared by the Media Development Foundation (MDF) within the USAID-funded Promoting Integration, Tolerance and Awareness Program in Georgia (PITA), implemented by the UN Association of Georgia (UNAG). The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or UNAG. 1 Methodology The present report provides the results of monitoring conducted by the Media Development Foundation (MDF) ahead of the 2018 presidential elections. The monitoring was carried out on the cases of hate speech and discrimination on various grounds expressed by electoral subjects and political parties, as well as hate speech used against presidential candidates and political parties. The report involves only the cases of discrimination on ethnic, religious, racial and gender grounds, as well as the cases of encouraging violence; it does not provide insulting comments made by political opponents against each other. The monitoring covers the period from 1 August 2018 to 15 October 2018. The subjects of monitoring were selected from both mainstream and tabloid media. The monitored subjects were: ● News and analytical programs of five TV channels: Georgian Public Broadcaster (Moambe); Rustavi 2 (Kurieri; P.S.); Imedi (Kronika; Imedis Kvira); Maestro (news program) and Obieqtivi (news program). ● Talk-shows of five TV channels: Rustavi 2 (Archevani); Imedi (Pirispir); Iberia (Tavisupali Sivrtse); Obieqtivi (Gamis Studia, Okros Kveta); Kavkasia (Barieri, Spektri). ● Seven online media outlets: Sakinformi, Netgazeti, Interpressnews, Georgia and World, PIA, Kviris Palitra, Marshalpress. -
Public Private Dialogue Quality Tracking Ppd Quality Tracking System Implementation Report
PUBLIC PRIVATE DIALOGUE QUALITY TRACKING PPD QUALITY TRACKING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION REPORT USAID GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Deloitte Consulting LLP. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. PUBLIC PRIVATE DIALOGUE QUALITY TRACKING PPD QUALITY TRACKING SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION REPORT USAID GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA CONTRACT NUMBER: AID-114-C-14-00007 DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP USAID | GEORGIA USAID CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE: REVAZ ORMOTSADZE AUTHOR(S): INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (IDFI) PPD TRACKING: 1500 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 DISCLAIMER This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Deloitte Consulting LLP. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. 1 USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA PUBLIC PRIVATE DIALOGUE QUALITY TRACKING DATA Reviewed by: Malkhaz Nikolashvili, Natalia Beruashvili, Nino Chokheli, Tamar Kapianidze, Michael Martley Project Component: Support Inclusive Public Private Dialogue Practice Area: PPD Tracking Key Words: PPD, Quality, Tracking 2 USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G)