Political Parties and Democratization in Georgia a Thesis Submitted to the Graduate School of Social Sciences of Middle East
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POLITICAL PARTIES AND DEMOCRATIZATION IN GEORGIA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY YELDA KARADAĞ IN THE PARTIAL FULLFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN EURASIAN STUDIES DECEMBER 2011 Approval of the Graduate of Social Sciences _________________ Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunışık Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. _________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pınar Akçalı Head of the Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. _________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Ergun Özbolat Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Havva Kök Arslan (Hacettepe, IR.) _________________ Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Ergun Özbolat (METU, SOC.) _________________ Assist. Prof. Dr. Işık Kuşçu Bonnenfant (METU, IR.) _________________ ii I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rule and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original in this work. Name, Last Name: Yelda Karadağ Signature: iii ABSTRACT THE POLITICAL PARTIES IN GEORGIAN DEMOCRATIZATION Karadağ, Yelda M.S., Department of Eurasian Studies Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Ergun Özbolat December 2011, 181 Pages This thesis analyzes the development of the multi-party system and the role of political parties in the process of democratization in Georgia during both pre- independence and post-independence periods. The conditions shaping both the multi-party system and democratization are analyzed in the light of findings obtained through in-depth interviews with the representatives of political parties, civil society organizations and academicians in Georgia. In accordance with the post-Soviet political system, the nature of the relationship between the ruling party and the opposition is crucial. The diversification among the elite groups and the lack of pact formation among the political elite is the main reason which hinders the process of democratization. Hence, despite the Georgian political party system has numerous political parties; it is shaped in accordance with the dominant political party system. Keywords: Georgia, Political Parties, Political Elites, Democratization iv ÖZ GÜRCİSTAN’DAKİ SİYASİ PARTİLER VE DEMOKRATİKLEŞME Karadağ, Yelda Yüksek Lisans, Avrasya Çalışmaları Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Doç. Dr. Ayça Ergun Özbolat Aralık 2011, 181 sayfa Bu tez Gürcistan’daki demokratikleşme sürecinde çok partili sistemin gelişimini ve siyasi partilerin rolünü incelemektedir. Gürcistan’daki çok partili sistem ve demokratikleşme sürecine ışık tutmak için bağımsızlık öncesi ve bağımsızlık sonrası süreçler ayrıntıyla incelenecektir. Hem çok partili sistemi hem de demokratikleşmeyi şekillendiren koşullar Gürcistan’daki siyasi parti yöneticileri, sivil toplum örgütleri sorumluları ve akademisyenler ile gerçekleştirilen derinlemesine mülakatlar ile elde edilen bulgular ışığında yorumlanmıştır. Sovyetler sonrası gelişen siyasi sistemde iktidar partisi ve muhalefetin arasındaki ilişkilerin niteliği demokratikleşme açısından önemlidir. Siyasi seçkinlerin arasındaki farklılaşma ve mutabakat eksikliği demokratikleşme sürecini sekteye uğratan temel nedenlerdir. Dolayısıyla, Gürcistan’daki siyasi parti sistemi sayı olarak birçok siyasi partiye sahip olsa da siyasi sistem iktidar partisinin güdümündedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Gürcistan, Siyasi Partiler, Siyasi Seçkinler, Demokratikleşme v To My Mother vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ayça Ergun Özbolat whose knowledge, experience and advice enabled me to pursue this study and conduct fieldwork in Georgia. Her guidance, encouragement and unfailing patience made this thesis possible. I want to express my sincere appreciation to Prof. Dr. Ayşe Ayata for her support and granting me the opportunity to conduct the fieldwork in Georgia. I would also like to thank the members of the examining committee, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Havva Kök Arslan and Asisst. Prof. Dr. Işık Kuşçu Bonnenfant for their comments and suggestions. I am grateful to the Georgian respondents for their trust and evaluations, which enlightened my way during the thesis process. I am also thankful to my beloved friends; Firuze Balta for her bright mind and unique companionship to grasp the world more. Ege Hazar Gürsoy for her invaluable friendship and encouragement all the time we shared in Georgia and at home. Leyla Sayfutdinova, who introduced Georgia and always refreshed my mind with her insightful suggestions. Daan Sauren for his moral support during the writing process. I also would like to express my gratitude to Gökten vii Doğangün, Duygu Ünsal and Zelal Özdemir, who are always with me with their everlasting support and understanding. Without you, it would be very difficult for me to write this thesis. I am very much indebted to Todd M. Warren for his valuable effort and friendship for editing my thesis. No words of gratitude would be sufficient enough to thank my beloved family, especially my mother, who never gave up encouraging and believing me. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM .......................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. iv ÖZ ............................................................................................................................... v DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xi LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Methodology .................................................................................................... 5 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................... 6 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................................... .6 2.2 Definitions of Democratization ...................................................................... .6 2.3 Theories of Democratization ........................................................................... 9 2.4 Development of Political Parties in Post-Soviet Georgia .............................. 22 3. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................ 35 3.1 Political Context of the Pre-Independence Period ......................................... 37 ix 3.1.1 Political Movements in the Pre-Independence Period ........................... 47 3.2 Political Context of the Post-Independence Period ....................................... 51 3.2.1 The Gamsakhurdia Era .......................................................................... 51 3.2.2 The Shevardnadze Era ........................................................................... 57 3.3 The Rose Revolution ..................................................................................... 67 4. POLITICAL PARTIES IN GEORGIA ................................................................ 78 4.1 An Overview of the Multi-Party System ....................................................... 79 4.2 The Role of Political Parties in Democratization .......................................... 85 4.3 The Role of the Opposition Parties in Democratization .............................. 104 4.4 The Relationship between the Opposition Parties and the Ruling Party ..... 124 4.5 The Role of the International Actors in Democratization ........................... 138 4.6 The Future Prospects ................................................................................... 150 5.CONCLUSION ................................................................................................... 162 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 167 APPENDICES A. INTERVIEW LIST ....................................................................................... 177 B. INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE ............................................................... 179 C. TEZ FOTOKOPİSİ İZİN FORMU ............................................................... 180 x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AO Autonomous Oblasts AR Autonomous Regions ASSR Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics CIPDD The Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development CoE Council of Europe CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union CRRC The Caucasus Research Resource Center CUG Citizens’ Union of Georgia EU European Union GCP The Georgian Communist Party GFSIS Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies GLP The Georgian Labour Party GSP The Georgian Socialist Party IFES International Foundation for Electoral Systems IRI International Republican Institute xi ISFED International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy