Monthly Archives: July 2012

Governing Party MP to head the controversial State Audit Service in Georgia.

Georgia, Home, Issues, News, Process • Tags: ,

Lasha Tordia

On 23 July, the head of the State Audit Service (SAS) in Georgia, Levan Bezhashvili, handed in his resignation to parliament after four years in office citing his desire to aid the people of the storm battered region of Kakheti in Eastern Georgia. “I believe that at this time of difficulty it is my obligation to stand [...] by [the] residents of Kakheti region and help them in [the] relief efforts… so I have decided to quit this comfortable high post in Tbilisi,” he announced. More…

Empowering women politicians in Armenia.

Armenia, Civil Society, Issues • Tags: , ,

On Wednesday 25 July, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan announced a series of activities designed to encourage and increase the participation of women in Armenian public life. “Promoting women’s participation in economic and political spheres as well as inclusion in public life is an essential factor for ensuring democratic advancement. The positive effect women’s participation has on stability and security throughout society is undeniable,” said Sorokin. More…

Ilham Aliev to be YAPs candidate in the 2013 elections.

Azerbaijan, Campaigning, Home, Monitoring • Tags: , ,

The ruling party of Azerbaijan, the New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), has announced that Ilham Aliyev, incumbent president and Chairman of the YAP will be the party’s candidate for the presidential elections scheduled for October 2013. The candidacy was announced last week by deputy party chairman, Ali Ahmadov. Ahmadov stated that the official announcement will be made at a party convention to be held before the elections. More…

Extracts from the response to Baramidze’s by opposition spokesman and former foreign minister, Tedo Japaridze, published by New Europe on 24 July 2012.

Campaigning, Civil Society, Data, Georgia, Home • Tags: , ,

Tedo Japaridze was for a long time the Georgian Ambassador in Washington, serving there from 1994 -2002. In March 2002 he chaired the

Georgian National Security Council. His televised speech in that capacity in November 2003 at the height of the “Rose Revolution” probably

sealed the fate of the Shevardnadze government. Japaridze was appointed for a short time as Georgian foreign Minister after the revolution

but did not see eye to eye with many of the leaders that emerged after those events and was removed in March 2004.

He retains respect in key elements within the international community, particularly the US. In 2011 he became a member of the core team of

Bidzhina Ivanishvili’s party, and subsequently of the Georgian Dream coalition. More…

Extracts from the interview of Giorgi Baramidze, Vice Prime Minister of Georgia with New Europe on 23 July 2012 1

Georgia, Home, Issues, Monitoring, News

 Giorgi Baramidze has been a central figure on the Georgian political landscape for the last twenty years. He started his political career as a member of parliament of the Green Party and was a close associate of its leader Zurab Zhvania. He remained a close associate of Zhvania until the latter’s mysterious death in 2005. After the 2003 “Rose revolution” Baramidze became the second most important member of Zhvania’s team in the revolutionary leadership, serving first as interior minister and later as defence Minister. Shortly before Zhvania’s death his star waned somewhat and he was pushed upstairs as Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for European integration. Baramidze retains some popularity at the grassroots and there are reports that he may be fielded as candidate for the ruling United National Movement in his old constituency of Didube in Tbilisi.  More…

Karabakh elections cause controversy outside, but are welcomed inside. 3

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Home, Issues, Monitoring, News, Opinion, Other Territories, Process • Tags: , ,

The Elections held in the self-declared Nagorno- Karabakh Republic that took place on 19 July stirred considerable controversy outside, but in the territory itself they were welcomed by both winners and losers as an example of the determination of the voters to establish democratic rule.

There were 98,909 voters eligible to vote, according to the territory’s Central Elections Commission. Of these 72,833 actually voted, resulting in a turnout of 73.4%. Incumbent President Bako Sahakyan was re-elected having received 47,085 votes (66.7%), whilst the main opposition candidate Vitaly Balasanyan received 22966 votes (32.2%). The third candidate Arkady Soghomonyan received 594 votes which is 0.8 percent of total votes. More…

International Community calls on Georgia to ensure media freedom, says government is failing to protect journalists.

Civil Society, Home, Issues, News • Tags: , , ,

In light of recent violent incidents against journalists, both the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Amnesty International have called on the Georgian government to uphold the rights and freedom of the media, and investigate thoroughly acts of aggression, and intimidation against representatives of the media. More…

Initiative of the United National Movement assessed positively by Georgian Opposition Parties.

Campaigning, Georgia, Home, Issues • Tags: ,

An initiative from the governing United National Movement ahead of next October’s parliamentary elections in Georgia has been broadly welcomed by a number of opposition parties.

The initiative follows incidents in which supporters of government and opposition clashed in several areas of Georgia during activities of the Georgian Dream opposition coalition. The UNM has proposed that all parties sign a four point code of conduct, which says that despite having substantial difference on many issues signatory political parties “recognise the decisive importance of free, fair and peaceful electoral process for the country’s further democratic development.” More…

Tax inspection underway in Civilitas Foundation investigation.

Armenia, Civil Society, Home, Issues, News • Tags: ,


EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Philippe Lefort, along with the Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Traian Hristea, meeting Vartan Oscanian at the Civilitas Foundation in February 2012.

Maintaining the political nature of the charges laid against the Civilitas Foundation, an Armenian think tank, and its founder, former Foreign Minister and prominent member of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK for its initials in Armenian) Vartan Oskanian, have requested the court end the criminal investigations into the organisation’s activities. More…

NDI poll indicates two way race in October Elections in Georgia 2

Campaigning, Georgia, Home, News • Tags: , ,
From June 4-22, the Caucasus Resource research Centre (CRRC), conducted nation-wide poll in Georgia for the US based non-profit think tank National Democratic Institute (NDI). The NDI and CRRC conducted 6229 face-to-face interviews over the most recent and fourth phase of this study.
The figures indicate that the October Parliamentary Elections in Georgia will be a two way race between the ruling United National Movement and the Georgian Dream Coalition.Whilst the UNM maintained a considerable lead in the polls, as compared to an earlier NDI poll conducted in February the gap between the two parties has closed considerably. A third party, the Christian Democrats trailed far behind.

                                                                        June 2012                   February 2012

United National Movement                                      36%                            47%

Georgian Dream Coalition                                       18%                            10%

Christian Democrats                                                      3%                             3%

The poll has a margin of error plus, minus 2%.

According to the same poll 22% were undecided, almost the same number as it was in February and 16% refused to answer, up from 10% in February and 4% said they would vote for none of the parties. More…

OSCE considers future of election observation.

Civil Society, Home, Monitoring, Process • Tags: , , ,

The Irish Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), together with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), on 12 and 13 July convened in Vienna a supplementary Human Dimensions Meeting of the organisation, to discuss democratic elections and elections observation. The OSCE Human Dimension Meetings focus primarily on issues of human rights and democratisation, and are meant to provide a space for interaction between the fifty six member states of the organisation and their civil society. NGOs are invited to participate and speak in the meetings. More…

Unpalatable Georgian dishes

Campaigning, Civil Society, Georgia, Home, Issues, News • Tags: ,

Georgian cuisine is famous for its palatable dishes. It was a different kind of dishes that were on the mind of Georgian NGOs in recent days, as concern increased regarding government action against an independent media company. Civil society watchdogs, Transparency International Georgia and the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, in a joint statement calling for transparency from the Tbilisi City Court in the recent seizure of thousands of satellite dishes from the independent media company Maestro TV. More…

In Karabakh voters head to the polls this week to determine 5th president of the territory

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Campaigning, Home, Monitoring, News, Other Territories • Tags: ,

With the campaign period wrapped up (as of midnight on 17 July), residents of the self declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will have one day of reflection before going to the polls from 8:00am to 8:00pm on 19 July to determine the fifth president of the contested territory. Results are set to be announced on 22 July.

They will have to choose between three candidates: incumbent President Bako Sahakyan; former Deputy Defence Minister Vitali Balasanyan; and Deputy Director of Academic Affairs of the Stepanakert campus of the State Agrarian University of Armenia, Arkadi Soghomonyan.

Valeri Khachatryan, the fourth candidate, submitted a request to formally withdraw from the race to the Central Election Committee on Monday 9 July. More…

Georgia’s State Audit Service widens investigations into companies associated with the opposition, amid warnings from the EU and the OSCE. 1

Campaigning, Georgia, Issues, News, Process • Tags: , , ,

CEW Editorial writer Karina Gould follows the latest moves by Georgia’s State Audit Service against the Georgian Dream Coalition.

On the heels of the property seizure and fines levied against Georgian Dream leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, this week witnessed a continuation of the State Audit Service’s (SAS) investigation into campaign and party financing in Georgia. More…

Campaigning intensifying in Presidential contest in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Campaigning, Home, News, Other Territories • Tags: ,

With less than two weeks until the elections, all four presidential candidates have stepped up campaign activities in the self declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

This past week saw incumbent president and presidential candidate Bako Sahakayan touring the NKR regions between official duties and expounding the improvements and developments implemented by his government. He started his tour in Kashatagh region, continuing onto Martakert by the end of the week. Pointing to infrastructure repairs made since his government took power five years ago, the president also made clear that much work was still needed and committed himself to continuing to improve infrastructure and social services provisions if re-elected. While in the northern part of Kashatagh region he promised to focus on developing the local economy. More…