Taking unilateral steps such as changing election code, creating some “mechanisms”, taking back the offers to opposition — all while saying “we are ready for a dialogue” is simply not constructive.

And that should bother the authorities above all. It is not to say that favorable conditions must be created for the opposition to gain majority in the parliament. No.

The level of fairness of these elections will be crucial for Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO or improve its democratic image — and if the authorities continue doing things as they have so far — the elections result will not be satisfactory. For one thing, at least the voters’ lists should be clarified once and for all.

IF the authorities and opposition do not find a common langauge, at best, the result of the elections will be a “step forward” compared to the last elections, but given that those elections were barely considered as democratic (keep in mind how this government came into power in the first place see the OSCE report for violations), this will not help Georgia.

And then, if Georgia’s democratic credentials are once again put under a question mark, I wonder who will be to be blame when MAP will be refused in December.