Saakashvili vows never to allow "disagreements on main issues"

February 8, 2010 by georgiamedia

Georgia's policy towards Ukraine appears confused tonight as President Mikheil Saakashvili (pictured) suggested democracy was dead in Kiev after yesterday's presidental poll: despite having congratulated the people of Ukraine on a successful and democratic election in the early hours of the Georgian morning.

Speaking to his parliamentary allies this evening Georgia's president hinted that he intended to keep an iron grip on dissent in his country, telling MPs - reports InterPressNews - that "Georgia must never repeat the fate of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s problems were compromises with regard to reforms, and national disagreements on main issues, which are lethal for democracy."

Yet earlier, speaking on late-night Ukrainian TV, Saakashvili said of the poll "Ukrainian democracy has won" and this morning deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze said Georgia welcomed "the choice of the people of Ukraine".

Saakashvili may hope to communicate one message internationally - that he will accept the result of the Ukrainian poll - while using it as a way of attacking the opposition at home. With complete control over the three national television channels the president has little reason to fear - certainly outside Tbilisi - being exposed as delivering mixed messages.

And his claim that "national disagreements on main issues ... are lethal for democracy" suggests he has no intention of sharing power or even of allowing vigorous debate.

Speaker challenged to let opposition MP speak in parliamentary debate

February 8, 2010 by georgiamedia

Spring sittings of the Georgian parliament have begun and there is an expectation that (as in previous years) President Mikheil Saakashvili will address members.

But if does he could face a sharp retort from independent opposition MP Gia Tsagareishhvili about why there has been no criminal investigation into police violence on 7 November 2007 (when the police attacked peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi and special forces later stormed the Imedi TV station after it broadcast pictures of the police attack).

Tsagareishvili is also seeking answers from the president about what 400 million Georgian Laris (about $235 million) from the government's contingency fund have been spent on.

However parliamentary rules may be used to simply bar the opposition MP from speaking. Parliament's standing orders specify that only faction leaders and committee chairs can speak in the debate that follows a presidential address. To get the chance to speak Tsagareishvili needs to be called by the speaker - Saakashvili loyalist Davit Bakradze (pictured), reports Gruzia Online.

Alasania is one of the "stars" at Munich security discussions: ZDF

February 6, 2010 by georgiamedia

The German embassy in Tbilisi has identified Irakli Alasania (pictured)as "the hope" of Georgia and ensured he was invited to this year's Munich security conference - where he has been "one of the stars" of young leaders' discussions reports leading German TV network ZDF.

Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili, is not attending this year's event but his press team have strongly denied this is because he has not been invited. They said he had been personally invited by the director but as he was "too busy" he would instead attend Barrack Obama's arms reduction conference in April.

Alasania told the young leaders debates that Georgia needed to strengthen its diplomatic hand and not look to force as a means of settling its disputes with Russia.

Describing the August War of 2008 - when Russian forces invaded Georgia in response to a Georgian attempt to crush Russian-sponsored separatists - as a disaster "for all sides", the former Georgian ambassador to the UN stated: "weapons only deepen the problems - that is why we must strengthen our means of diplomacy, we need dialogue rather than force of arms."

Update: We have update the story to better reflect the sequence of invitations and refusals as stated by Mikheil Saakashvili's team.

"Crowd sourcing" Mark Monem

February 5, 2010 by georgiamedia

Can we use social networks to find out the truth about a Georgian media mystery?

If you know this man and who he works for please let us know.

This is an opportunity to use the power of the internet to shed light on a murky part of the Georgian political story - who owns and operates one of the country's national television stations: Imedi.

In November 2007 armed special forces stormed Imedi and the government closed it down after it broadcast film of the police attacking peaceful demonstrators. In January 2008 it was seized by the Georgian courts after a claim that it was to be used to mount a coup. On 12 February the station's founder, Badri Patarkatsishvili - forced into exile in the UK - died of a heart attack and his step cousin, a notorious business figure named Joseph Kay claimed he was the new owner thanks to a new will that Kay claimed he had.

Later in 2008 the station re-opened, now taking a pro-government line. And in February 2009 Kay claimed he had sold 90% of the company to "RAK Georgia Holding" which he said was a subsidary of the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) - the sovereign wealth fund of an absolute monarchy in the United Arab Emirates.

At the press conference announcing the sale the man above, saying he was called Mark Monem, was introduced and spoke as a representative of RAKIA.

But now RAKIA say they do not own the station and never have.

So who is telling the truth? Well, the man above must know.

But we do not know anything about him (other than he speaks English with a heavy accent). But someone out there must know who he is.

So - do you know him? Do you know about him? Tell us if you do web@geogiamediacentre.com

And if you don't know him - forward on a link to this page. Translate this page (a translation into Arabic would be very helpful).

Help us find out the truth and expose who is lying.

Saakashvili too powerful says Europe's constitutional watchdog

February 4, 2010 by georgiamedia

Georgia's constitution is inadequate, its president too powerful and the country lacks a democratic political culture: the damning verdict of the chair of Europe's constitutional watchdog, Gianni Buquicchio (pictured), currently visiting Tbilisi.

He says, reports InterPressNews, that the country's current constitution does not meet western and contemporary criteria and damned its framers: "Georgia has been working on a constitution since independence, and it is a great pity it couldn’t manage to work out an appropriate constitution in 20 years."

Of Georgia's lack of a democratic culture he said "There is a lack of political culture in Georgia. I mean [of] responsibility. There will always be different opinions, though finally they should be led to constructiveness."

But most damning of all is his description of the current constitutional balance, which reflects the huge increase of powers granted Mikheil Saakashvili in the aftermath of the Rose Revolution of late 2003: "The constitution, adopted since the Rose Revolution, has less balance between the governmental branches. I admit you need a strict control in state policy, though now this policy needs to be softened, and distribution of power is necessary. Balance should be kept between executive, legislative and judicial branches. The rights of the President should be limited, while those of the Parliament should be increased at his expense. The Constitution needs amendments."

Buquicchio heads the Council of Europe's "European Commission for Democracy through Law", better known as the Venice Commission, established to ensure the emerging states of Eastern Europe and the "Post-Soviet Space" adopt democratic constitutions that enshrine civil rights and the rule of law.