Opposition Fights for Electoral Reform
On July 16, five opposition parties presented a joint memorandum calling for changes to the Georgian electoral system. The Republicans, Industrialists, Conservatives, New Rights Party and Labour Party say new rules in parliamentary elections need to be reversed and election commissions at all levels need representation from opposition parties. (more)
No Railway Sale, Says Arveladze
The Minister of Economic Development sought to dispel claims of an impending privatization of the state-owned Georgian railway on Monday, but left open the possibility that railway management could be farmed out to a private business. (more)
Ministry’s Crack Down on Fraudulent Claims Saves State GEL 15 Million
30 000 fraudulent pension and disability claims were discovered, saving the state millions in benefits pay, announced Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs Lado Chipashvili at a July 16 press conference. Many of the claims, the minister said, were made with the help of corrupt doctors. (more)
News in Brief
- Defense Ministry’s Third Brigade Completes Iraq Deployments
- Georgia Proposes Permanent UN Base in Kodori Gorge
- US Welcomes UNOMIG Report on Kodori Gorge Rocket Attack
- Sport Academy Students and Professors Plan Hunger Strike
- Georgian Labor Party Pledges to Find New Jobs for Prostitutes
- Shevardnadze Would-Be Assassins May be Paroled


Russia’s Suspension of CFE Won’t Create New Arms Race in South Caucasus
In a little less than 150 days, Russia’s suspension of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty will take effect. (more)


BTC Oil Pipeline Running at Full Capacity
The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline is now carrying nearly a million barrels of oil each day. From 2008, 80 percent of that oil should be Azerbaijani. (more)
Public Opinion: Most Georgians Disapprove of Publicly Televised Arrests
The newspaper Kviris Palitra conducted a polling of 354 of its readers asking, “What do you think of the Constitutional Security Department’s ‘TV arrests’?” (more)
International Organizations Fund Small Business Development in Armenia
USAID and the EBRD’s Early Transition Countries (ETC) initiative are funding a second round of the Business Advisory Service (BAS) program in Armenia. USAID is providing a USD 1.6 million grant, and the EBRD ETC allotted USD 500 000 to support the program, according to the news agency Regnum. (more)
The prices rise – the result of the monopolists’ uncontrolled activity
Rising costs on consumer goods worry many in Georgia. Among a slew of possible explanations for cost-of-living increases, some analysts argue that it’s industry monopolies causing problems. Monopolies or overwhelmingly dominant companies are operating in the electricity and gas industry, oil importing, railway transportation, and the communications industry among others, writes the newspaper Kviris Palitra. (more)


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