The Elections in Georgia
January 6th, 2008 by jibs
It is rather hard for me to believe that Saakashvili won the elections in the first round. The exit polls aired at 10 pm yesterday, which claimed Saakashvili’s victory with over 50%, prompted [premature] celebration and a pop concert among Saakashvili’s supporters. it should be noted that the 
organizations and medias that conducted these polls are affiliated with the authorities.
Then comes the question: why celebrate the results which were delivered by handpicked people? Why weren’t the conductors of the exit polls agreed upon with the opposition?
This remains a mystery, unless someone wanted to gain advantage artificially. The foreign observers so far say they didn’t encounter extraordinary violations which would change the end results. The votes are being counted — 10% so far. The opposition claims victory and mass violations.
Some handpicked reactions: the author of the ResistanceGeorgia blog, who was an observer on one of the districts, says there “were serious violations all over.” Violations included “carousels” whereby certain groups voted on several different districts, voters’ intimidation and media bias.
presa.ge reports that one of their journalists experimented with the liquid substance used at the polling stations — he managed to wipe off the ink and entered to vote again, after which he informed this fact to the Central Elections Committee.
The reporter says that someone warned of vehicles with groups of activists approaching the district where he was located. One member of Saakashvili’s National Movement went outside and the group turned back.
Another journalist was threatened with physical liquidation for snooping around the polling station.
The election monitors “hailed the elections, but noted some shortcomings” - usual mumbo jumbo. It would take breaking into the polling station, violence and changing the ballot boxes when the monitors were inside for them to note something. To be fair, they must listen to what the opposition says. The final reaction is yet to be publicized.
In the meantime, the opposition gears up for demonstrations to protect their votes. The authorities have said they will uphold the stability in the country once again (I guess the same way they did on November 7).
Again: why conduct exit polls to which the opposition does not agree? This is provocative — there had to be a consensus on this issue. The opposition could do the same thing: get different exit polls and claim victory. If the consensus was reached, there would be less room for possible “instability” in the country.
Simon Says
Sincerely Yours Somosa!
It seems that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, good friend of George W. Bush and third largest supplier of soldiers (after US and UK) to coalition forces in Iraq, might maintain his power for another 5 years after winning snap elections by marginally 52% of votes. Western observers from OSCE – leaded by Florida democrat Mr. Alcee Hastings (former federal judge, who was impeached for 150,000 bribe!), called elections a “triumph of democracy”! – That might be impression on the Kenyan background…
Well, Saakashvili’s election is not a bad news for US, and most particularly - for Bush administration, but is it equally good news for the People of Georgia?
Part I
Saakashvili’s first term has proved that even western education and diplomas from Columbia University and George Washington University don’t automatically mean that owner is a hero of democracy. Media liberty has certainly climbed down since Shevy (Former President Shevardnadze) – who was enough tolerant to see cynical cartoons, depicting all his sins and misdoings weekly. Rapid disappearance of similar cartoons from TV was the first sign that new ruler – Mikheil Saakashvili - should have been considered as sinless, unmistakable and perfect by all public. The next time the ring bell when Rustavi2 – the main media supporting Rose Revolution – has shortly cancelled his most popular show – “60 Minutes” which was the most scandalous journalistic investigation during Shevardnadze time. Did it mean that Saakashvili’s government would not need media watchdog? Surely Rose government challenged terribly Shevy’s long tail of corruption - especially during its first year, when the prosecutor general brought more money to state budget, than Georgian economy – all arrestants have been stripped off their property or huge money was paid to make them excused. But certainly those have been external sinners, whilst the internal ones have already started to dream to gain a profit. And journalistic investigation shouldn’t have been cancelled, as it is not cancelled in countries with much higher standards of democracy, than Georgia even under Mr. Saakashvili.
Then the 202 independent TV’s owner has been imprisoned on blackmail reason – allegedly demanding money from the MP of Saakashvili’s movement. Guess this - 202 TV was then the most critical to Saakashvili media, which still dared to produce similar cartoons! Finally, Saakashvili’s friend – “gas-millionaire” Bezhuashvili (brother of the Minister of Foreign Affairs), has acquired both biggest TVs - Rustavi2 TV and Mze TV (two major channels), which means Saakashvili controls them. After that property transfer those “media bulldogs” became blond Chihuahuas which bark on outsiders and lick owner’s hand. 2008 Elections have proved again the major “mistake” of Shevardnadze – he didn’t acquire full control of TV and other media. And Saakashvili who was brought to trone by Rustavi2 - knew exactly how much dangerous weapon that could be – so he decided to eradicate free TV in Georgia (very much like Mr. Putin, which Saakashvili publicly criticizes, but in fact copies a lot!).
Starting with [relatively] small – putting leash on TV, Saakashvili in 2 years (especially after yet uninvestigated death of former Prime Minister Zhvania) – has accumulated much more power in his hands than he initially had, has made the Parliament his pocket-toy, and power ministers and even courts – totally subordinated. There have been several dozen of constitutional amendments to benefit President! One the last brilliant action was mainly unipartial Parliament’s decision to prolong its own term on 1 year! Can you imagine any western Parliament drafting such self-longevity decision?
It is remarkable, that while corruption was claimed to be defeated, Saakashvili’s family and friends have gained huge economic power and wealth – one of president’s brother controls biggest local petrol-stations network – Canargo Oil, which recently became Wissol Co. Other brother is in charge of Irao, one of top three insurance companies. Georgian Railways were recently sold to President’s friend (and family-cashier) as well, but after Okruashvili’s accusations that deal was sharply cancelled. President’s uncle – Temur Alasania (famous by his contacts to Russian oligarchs, like ex-general billionaire Generalov) - controls the only Georgian gold and copper minery – Madneuli. President’s mother - Prof. Giuli Alasania - is in charge of two newly established private universities – one of which has grown so much that last year the biggest Georgian Technical University (GTU) has been temporarily stopped to admit students for a year – allegedly to allow Prof. Alasania to acquire smoothly the building which formerly belonged to the GTU. Now the new university has been called Georgian University – to show the high ambitions it has. At the same time Prof. Alasania smartly prefer not to be appointed as a President of the universities but serving at the supervisory boards, though it is not hard to guess that she is a real ruller there. President’s father has become a director and owner of big Physiotherapy Institute inside Tbilisi. And finally in the country when many 50 year-ers are jobless, and people are often kicked off from jobs due to their middle age, both President’s grandparents enjoy work and stunning salaries at public institutions despite of their late 80-ies.
Shevardnadze’s family has spent nearly a decade to gain similar domination in business, which Saakashvili’s clan sprintered in just 1-3 years.
Part II
What are the achievements of Saakashvili for his first term?
□ Prominent economic growth - double digit annually, quadriplied budget, indeed yet remarkable foreign investment rate! - Fine! But has it somehow improved ordinary people’s life standards? NO, only 5-10% say they live better now. Although pensions have been doubled, but inflation did the same, so pensions’ rise is more illusion that reality.
□ Better roads and Tbilisi renovations? – Indeed so, nobody can deny - this government has done more in that direction than it was done for past 50 years, but many people say, that the money which was spent there could and should have been enough to build 2-3 times more – so more summerhouses and BMWs for some good friends!? And the blows when recently finished airport couldn’t stand the first wind and first rain and nearly was torn apart after few weeks of existence, proves again that there is more bluff than really solid establishments. Many buildings in Tbilisi and other cities are covered by modern glass from outside and look modern a-la-Brussels, but in this nice nutshell there is only old garbage inside without equivalent infrastructure – so one would better never step indoor. That is a typical case of “Potyomkin’s village” (fake villages specially built by Prince Potyomkin to demonstrate to Catherine II how well her people were living).
□ Reform of justice system? Indeed the prisons are now under the Ministry of Justice, not under the Police, but the courts are less independent now everybody says! Powerful parliamentarians from President’s party – United National Movement – often phonecall judges and tell them how they should make the decisions. It was reported that the person serves the long-term in jail for “murder”, which he has admitted after being bitten several times by police, whilst the “victim” has appeared healthy and unharmed in the village after several months of disappearance! The prosecutor said that it was still justified to keep the accused, as he has planned to beat the victim! Another case is jobless father of four children, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison simply for stealing a mattress from a summerhouse! Several times young people have been killed by police, and even tortured, and in all those cases the identified policemen either are not trialed at all, or their terms are more than mild. Georgia has 20000 inmates - 4 times more now than before Saakashvili, and their conditions are awful, often resulting in Tuberculosis, suicide or sudden death. Communist regime was famous by using illegal listening of phones, but that were not ordinary citizens, but freedom-fighters and democrats like Gamsakhurdia, Kostava and others. In today’s Georgia people never trust to say anything in phone, as so many cases have been revealed when even a junior journalists of independent media have been secretly listened, recorded and watched. Georgia more and more looks live Orwellian country in 1984, where Big Brother watches everybody.
□ Reform of Army? - Amen! Georgian army is much stronger now than previously, but look what government has disclosed recently – that former Minister of Defense – Irakli Okruashvili - has been stealing millions and buying rusted armament, smuggling those means for his own benefit! Besides, he was accused in nepotism, money laundering, office abuse and blackmail. And this is the very same person, which Saakashvili always has been depicting as an exemplary. He was announced as a bad guy only after he started to accuse Saakashvili in wrongdoings! Indeed, “whoever is not with us, he is against us”, and thus his [former] sins are not anymore excused…
□ Health Reform? - Ask patients, ask doctors!.. 95% of hospitals are sold to local pharma companies which produce medicines, sell them in their own drugstore networks and now will be also able to test those drugs on patients! Former minister of health, close friend of Saakashvili and now ambassador in Czech Republic is believed to have big share in that newly emerged private hospitals ownership! Often patients are not having means to pay for health care and they sell all their goods for healthcare cost, or stay and die at homes. Not that healthcare burden has worsened much during Saakashvili, but at least it didn’t improve either.
□ Educational reform! - Good step towards better transparency for university admission process as unified exams, but at the same time, secondary and university education standards have fallen dramatically – teachers and parents both agree.
Part III
Now about elections – appointed by Saakashvili’s own decision between New Year (Jan 1) and Orthodox Christmas (Jan 7), the 5th January election was preliminary determined to have less turnout and bigger chances for mass manipulations. Besides, he wanted to imprint number “5″in people’s brains, as it was all time his party’s number! Announced with only 40 days before and the only opposition TV yet on lock after terrible destruction by Special Forces - electio’s timing heavily benefited Saakashvili as opposition had no time to start campaign. Finally the richest opponent was taken out of stage thanks to elegant intelligence operation to be-called “an Evil He Is!”
After ignoring impoverished people’s needs for nearly 4 years Saakashvili suddenly became so much socially-oriented that outnumbered ahead the most populist left-wing politician Natelashvili by promising everything to everybody. Opposition has counted that to keep those promises government will need around 12 billion GEL (over $7,5 bln. - more than Georgia’s current GDP), which of course would inflate currency dramatically. A kind candidate bringing TV to voter’s home, distributing free tickets to teenagers, isn’t that a lovely “democratism”?
At the same time, if one counts how much money Saakashvili has spent on his recent advertisement campaign (the whole city is fool of multimeter banners and his images on each corner and on each bus), he could have really help thousands of people before, thus probably diminishing mass protests significantly.
After crackdown of independent Imedi TV (that is a long story and good subject for journalist investigation with such tension on journalists that Franco would be charmed) Saakashvili had full control of media since November and was portrayed as Father of the Nation. The video clips with numerous children, women, elderly, impoverished, tears on presidential eyes would have been classics of both Latin soap operas and the advertisement that US candidates probably benefit to “learn”. President has chosen the successful banker as a new PM, and their tandem speaks now so socially-oriented that Karl Marx would have been listened in astonishment.
The most ruthless pre-election violation have been mass threatening of opposition supporters, their firing from jobs, and several cases when not only ordinary citizens, but even MPs have been beaten! The punishment for that violence (imagine what would be punishment for beating an MP in your country!) was charmingly modest – from 400 Lari (around $250) – to ad maximum 10 days in prison. The rumors are, that performers of this “Nationalist request” have been rewarded rather generously - out of records. People calls those youngsters gangs the “Zondercomands” with perfect analogy to from where they came and which methods they copy. Even when Mr. Saakashvili was proposing peace and reconciliation to his opponents at Rustavi2 TV live show, the very same time several dozens his supporters have bitterly beaten 4 opposition supporter youngsters in the same building and then on street simply for their criticism towards Saakashvili and his government.
I decided not to stop on the November 7 peaceful rally violent dispel by police, Special Forces and President’s masked supporters, who then marched on main avenue crying “Long live, Misha!” By the way, Saakashvili never ever admitted that force was used over-adequately.
The election day – 5thJanuary 2008 - has brought so many violations that everybody has remembered not only Shevardnadze, but even Aslan Abashidze, most ruthless recent tyrant ruler of Adjara (overthrown by Saakashvili and opposition jointly) – famous by his despotism and totalitarian ruling: massive fraudulence in countryside precincts, especially the ones, where government didn’t install videocameras. Minority populated districts – Azeris, Armenians, Greeks - have “awarded” 85-95% of votes to Saakashvili. It has been recorded that in many those precincts voters didn’t even go to special cabins and openly have written Saakashvili’s number at tables under the “instruction” of the instructors. There are some precincts, where against 1000 votes to Saakashvili opposition had 1 or even 0, at the same time turnouts have been over 95% at those precincts (in agverage - only 56%)! Also, at the precincts where Saakashvili has “won” dramatically, non of bulletins were found invalid, whilst on the precincts, where he did lose, invalid bulletins have been around 10-30%! It is interesting that people were allowed to vote without IDs, and/or with IDs, but - at different places (the bad weather was blamed, although nobody asked why the elections were appointed in January which always is the worst month by weather in Georgia). Journalists, and even commission members were sometimes dismissed. There have been numerous Merry-go-Round minivans hired by National movement, shuttling between precincts with persons promised money. Suddenly the special fluids for marking were not enough; at other precincts outsider voters’ red envelopes also ended “unexpectedly” and their votes were mixed with others against the rule; Most of video cameras didn’t record the violations as many have been switched off – reason was “electricity shortage” – perfect explanation. Copy machines, provided by USAID to make copies of IDs and of final protocols at sites, have either disappeared from precincts (!), or - again “had lacked power”, or didn’t function because of “paper shortage” (!). persons with Saakashvili’s number and photos were proudly marching around precincts (not allowed by constitution), openly and aggressively soliciting and threatening citizens; police was “missing” those violations and sometimes even actively supporting them – ARE ALL THESE SIGNES OF “TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY”? Whose friend is Mr. Saakashvili then – of George W. Bush, or of Mr. Putin, from whom he has acquired terrible sarcasm and ignorance of opposition and belief that he and only he represents a nation?! He is the Savior, a new David the Builder (the most popular Georgian King in 12th c.). Western observers might say that those were violations in only few places (as most of international observers stayed only around 20-60 min per certain precinct, it is perfectly possible “to miss” the moment of violation). Indeed, may be 75-85% of precincts have been managed without significant violations, but if those remaining 15-25% of precincts have given 90% of falsified votes to Saakashvili, isn’t that a grave falsification which might/should have determined the final result? remember, if Saakashvili would have 50% of votes and he found satisfactory stealing the votes which would increase his pool up to 51%. But if on parliamentary elections he will need 75% of votes to have absolute majority, don’t you think he will find it easy enough to falsify at 75% benchmark as well?” At this very moment Mr. Saakashvili accepts congratulations from western leaders (Presidents of France, Poland, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have congratulated their freind, although final results are not yet announced!), gives interview to CNN which openly calls him “Mr. President”, though it’s already 84 hours since the end of elections and the election commission since morning of Jan 8 (over 32 hours!) still doesn’t publish the last remaining 442 precincts. They have hard job of making false protocol copies, to threaten opposition party observers and solicit them to put signature on those false protocols… Opposition leaders are cut off from the main TV channels, where they are presented as crazy fanatics, but one really might get upset, if you have all data that you have won, you see that 10-15% of precincts are falsified, adn there is no electronic media to offer even 5 minutes of live air to tell that to your voters!
The last blow – for 2 days central election commission was not approving the complains which were directed to it. Only the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) has submitted over 230 complains and asked for canceling results in 30 precincts according to its observations. Now the CEC Chairman said that the date for admission of complains has expired and that they only received … 4 (!) complains. Currently there are over 1000 complains, but Election commission and courts dismiss 99% of them saying they are insignificant even without looking at them!!! Journalist and NGO’s have witnessed and recorded how janitors were dragging out the envelopes from the central election commission – when they opened the packages with seals it was protocols of precincts with unopened and stampped enevlopes and ballots where mostly oppisition candidates’ number was circled!..
Is this a “beacon of democracy”? Or may be “smoked bacon” on sale?
Mr. Saakashvili might be not a real evil indeed (though born the very same day as Joseph Stalin – 21st December!!), but at the same time he is nothing to be admired, at least – so far. He is definitely not a champion of democracy, and not very much pro-western either, but a pale shadow of democrat, if not a caricature. His real hero is Mr. Putin – an iron man, who never allows any opposition and free media to exist. But what was not excusable for police general Shevardnadze, it shouldn’t be excusable - even more - to Columbia University graduate.
Decades ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a man of honor - no doubt, hero of great depression for Americans, and hero of WW2 for the whole world, regretfully said something, which many US historians are not happy to quote – he said about Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somosa – “Somosa is son of a bitch, but he is, at least, our son of a bitch!” It is bitter to admit, that world has changed much, but not dramatically since then and interests of domestic policy, oil pipelines, Russian factor, and coming elections at home are put as much higher priority when it comes to what is a matter of existence of some people, in way far away small country, called Georgia…
Dear Western politicians and observers, leaders of what is proudly called “Free World”! Please note - you might save Mr. Saakashvili in office, but the price for that deal might be as high as loosing your credibility in hearts of people of Georgia! The first result is only 61% votes for NATO – a year ago it was sueveyed and was as high as 83%! Now if Saakashvili fouls the whole world with support of western friends, Georgians would say that if they are destined to hear lies, than Russian lies at least are easier to understand than English ones…
At Orthodox Christmas ceremony Saakashvili handshaked his major opposition opponent – Levan Gachechiladze. This was a moment of possible reconciliation, and on Jan 8 he even said to live TV show that he will welcome opposition persons to the government – I do realize how fragile the Georgian society and state yet are, and deep in my heart, I’m not myself convinced that change of government would indeed bring more benefit than danger. But there is the concern that Mr. Saakashvili talks friendly and behaves nice as he still feels himself in a trap and if released for another 5 year-term – he again might renew marching towards totalitarian dictatorship of modern style, call it Putinism - with coca-cola bottle in hand.
Will he then still remain “YOURS”?
Mr. Simon Dolidze, citizen of Georgia
Jan 11th, 2008 at 7:22 pm