The Political Landscape of Georgia

The Political Landscape of Georgia The Political Landscape of Georgia Political Parties: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects Ghia Nodia Álvaro Pinto Scholtbach Coordinators - Editors Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Eburon Delft 2006 ISBN10: 90 5972 113 6 ISBN13: 978 90 5972 113 5 Eburon Academic Publishers P.O. Box 2867 2601 CW Delft The Netherlands tel.: +31 15 2131484 / fax: +31 15 2146888 [email protected] / www.eburon.nl © 2006 IMD, ODIHR, CIPDD. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing from the proprietor. This publication was published with the support of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The opinions and information it contains do not necessarily reflect the policy and position of the ODIHR. Contents Foreword by Vladimir Shkolnikov and Jos van Kemenade i Map of the South Caucasus iv Introduction by Ghia Nodia and Álvaro Pinto Scholtbach 1 1. Democratic Transitions and Political Institutions 5 1.1 Georgia’s New State and Democratic Transitions 7 1.2 Putting Georgia on the Map: 33 The International Dimension and Impact 1.3 Parties and the State 43 1.4 Society and Citizenship 61 2. The Institutional Development of Political Parties 85 2.1 Introduction: Origin and Functions of Political Parties 89 2.2 The Georgian Political Party System 101 2.3 Party Identities and Policy Development 119 2.4 Human and Financial Resources 135 2.5 Internal Democracy and Membership 153 2.6 Women and Politics 171 2.7 Parties, Elections and Campaigning 181 2.8 International Support for Political Parties 195 3. A Framework for Democratic Party Building 205 3.1 Conclusions, Recommendations and Action Plan 209 Annex: Political Party Files 227 Index 263 FOREWORD A functioning multiparty system is a sine qua non for a modern democracy. It is an empirical observation that a democracy remains an empty shell if there is no political competition and interaction between the various political parties. Even in this age when the civil society seems to be more vibrant than political society, and when we can see a general discontent with politics among citizens all over the OSCE region, political parties remain indispensable for the functioning of representative democracies. Indeed, as early as the Copenhagen Document of 1990, the OSCE Partici- pating States recognized “the importance of pluralism with regard to political organizations.” As such, the governments of these participating states committed themselves to “respect the right of individuals and groups to es- tablish, in full freedom, their own political parties or other political organizations and provide such political parties and organizations with the necessary legal guarantees to enable them to compete with each other on a basis of equal treatment before the law and by the authorities.” Therefore, assisting the development of multiparty systems is a field for which the OSCE is well positioned. The other partner in the work done in Georgia and of which this book is its testimony, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), was established especially to help develop these systems and the democratic political parties that are part of them. In its governance work the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) stresses the importance of governments being representative, responsive and responsible. Assistance to political parties – both in and out of government – seeks to promote these goals among actors across the entire political spectrum. The IMD shares that mission. The three main principles on which our work rests are: Responsiveness, which means that governments are able to react to the de- mands and needs of society at large, are open to effective interaction with civil society and various interest groups and are able to consider various views and interests in policy- and law-making processes. In this respect, transparency in the work of governments is crucial to making them responsive. The ODIHR and the IMD are prepared to lend assistance to political parties in their attempt to be responsive to their membership, thereby also enhancing the responsiveness of governments. Responsibility, which means that governments can be held accountable by their own societies. While this is most visible at the time of elections, democracy in a democratically governed country actually functions between elections as “a daily plebiscite.” Responsible governments govern in accordance with the rule of law, where laws are open, well-known and apply equally to all. Procedures ensure that political minorities can contribute effectively to inclusive law-making processes and that a culture of boycotts and non- i participation is avoided. And promoting multi-party systems where parties are accustomed to interacting directly contributes to achieving this goal. Representativeness, which means that, while governments are responsive to public needs, they also represent distinct political interests, values, ideas and programmes, not only during election periods, but also between elections. Representative governments work on institutionalizing political life and public political participation through legitimate institutions such as political parties, thus simplifying and clarifying political choices faced by individual citizens. In our work on promoting multiparty democracy, The ODIHR and the IMD assist parties in developing and clarifying their platforms so as to make clear to the public what ideas and values the various parties represent. In recognition of the fact that political parties are unique institutions of governance and that it is the parties that can make a valuable contribution to creating an environment where government is responsive, responsible and representative, the ODIHR has entered the field of assistance to political parties. This is done strictly on an impartial, inclusive multiparty basis in a project to promote ownership of democratic processes by all political forces. It is fitting that this type of a project was first tested in the OSCE region in Georgia, following the Rose Revolution, which brought about changes in the political landscape. This is why the ODIHR and the IMD started to work on political party development through the innovative methodology of an interactive assessment. A knowledgeable local partner -- the Caucasus Insti- tute for Peace, Development and Democracy (CIPDD), was the third partner in making the project a success. We hope that this programme has enhanced the parties’ understanding of their own and each others’ strengths and weaknesses and made the field of political competition more transparent. We also hope to have identified a way forward that involves strengthening the internal democratic organiza- tion of the parties, enhancing women’s political activity within parties and decision-making processes, increasing international contacts and improving the way the parties identify themselves at the local level. The OSCE/ODIHR would like to maintain this momentum by continuing the engagement in democratic political party development in the spirit of OSCE’s emphasis on democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The IMD is committed to remain a strong partner in that endeavour. ii The ODIHR would like to thank the governments of Canada and the United States for funding this project: truly an international effort in the political sense, but strictly a non-partisan effort to assist Georgia to further enhance its young democracy. Vladimir Shkolnikov Head of the ODIHR Democratization Department Jos van Kemenade Chairman of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy iii Map of the South Caucasus Map 1. South Caucasus iv Introduction Democracy in Georgia is a matter of international interest. That has been said repeteadly by Western leaders during the last 15 years. While the assessment that led to this book was going on in 2005, US President George Bush visited the country and, to a multitude at the central square in the capi- tal Tbilisi, he openly declared the interest of the world in having democracy succeed in Georgia. Other Western politicians and leaders of bordering countries like Turkey have also shown that interest. On its part, Georgia is promising to do all it can to join the club of democratic countries and the European and transatlantic organizations linked to them. At the same time it is seeking to improve its relations with the partners in the direct and unsta- ble region of the Caucasus. In other words, the Georgian political class faces real major challenges. Good and democratic political institutions are indispensable to a sustain- able democracy. In countries coming from authoritarianism or where democracy is relatively young, those kinds of institutions and the democratic political culture upon which they rest are not available and have to be con- structed. But it is first necessary to understand how they work. A good analy- sis of the existing political culture and organizations must be seen as a crucial part of a successful democratization process. Political parties in particu- lar should be analyzed to help us understand how and why they work as they do. A well functioning political party system is evidently an important

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