A new challenge on the fourth anniversary of the Rose Revolution
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)
(Translated by Diana Dundua)
Monday, November 26
On the fourth anniversary of the bloodless revolution which ushered a young Mikheil Saakashvili to power, the once-shining star of liberal reform convened a congress of his political party to promise five years of successes Georgia very much needs.
Saakashvili, who resigned Sunday and will bid for a new mandate in the presidential election on January 5, says that he is the only one who can possibly continue the country down the right path. Saakashvili began his presidency with sky-high approval, but is ending his term a year early after a steady erosion of support coupled by the crisis of November 7.
Over the weekend, the government-friendly Rustavi 2 aired a report purporting to outline the successes and failures of Saakashvili’s administration. The list of failures was at best succinct, focusing mainly on the acknowledged disconnect between the government and voters. Georgian’s main complaints, meanwhile, stem partly from a feared trend towards authoritarianism but mostly the failure of Georgia’s vaunted economic growth to trickle down to the average citizens.
That economic growth, however, is just one of the accomplishments which must fairly be credited to Saakashvili and his team. His government stamped out once-endemic petty corruption, flushed away Adjaran dictator Aslan Abashidze and turned Georgia, once a failing state, into one of the most appealing newly-independent countries to do business in.
But voters’ distrust, and the administration’s shocking actions on November 7, jeopardize all of that. Saakashvili, cited by international press as the odds-on favorite to win, may have more trouble capturing a second term than many assume. If he does win, however, the biggest difficulty will be convincing voters he did so fairly. Inviting platoons of election observers, as Saakashvili has done, is a good first step. But it will not be enough.
To regain the strong mandate he is looking for, Saakashvili cannot merely win—he must also be careful that this race is as fair and free as the government can guarantee.
Saakashvili, who resigned Sunday and will bid for a new mandate in the presidential election on January 5, says that he is the only one who can possibly continue the country down the right path. Saakashvili began his presidency with sky-high approval, but is ending his term a year early after a steady erosion of support coupled by the crisis of November 7.
Over the weekend, the government-friendly Rustavi 2 aired a report purporting to outline the successes and failures of Saakashvili’s administration. The list of failures was at best succinct, focusing mainly on the acknowledged disconnect between the government and voters. Georgian’s main complaints, meanwhile, stem partly from a feared trend towards authoritarianism but mostly the failure of Georgia’s vaunted economic growth to trickle down to the average citizens.
That economic growth, however, is just one of the accomplishments which must fairly be credited to Saakashvili and his team. His government stamped out once-endemic petty corruption, flushed away Adjaran dictator Aslan Abashidze and turned Georgia, once a failing state, into one of the most appealing newly-independent countries to do business in.
But voters’ distrust, and the administration’s shocking actions on November 7, jeopardize all of that. Saakashvili, cited by international press as the odds-on favorite to win, may have more trouble capturing a second term than many assume. If he does win, however, the biggest difficulty will be convincing voters he did so fairly. Inviting platoons of election observers, as Saakashvili has done, is a good first step. But it will not be enough.
To regain the strong mandate he is looking for, Saakashvili cannot merely win—he must also be careful that this race is as fair and free as the government can guarantee.