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GEORGIAN DEMOCRACY NEEDS THE EU'S HELP
David Usupashvili
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/georgian-democracy-needs-the-eu-s-help/74302.aspx
With President Mikheil Saakashvili's commitment to democracy
increasingly in question, the EU must act.
In less than six months, parliamentary elections will be held in
Georgia. As well as being a political test for the parties involved,
these polls represent an important test of the democratic credentials
of the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili and the impact of
the EU's calls for political pluralism.
On 15 May, the European Commission will present its action plan for
Georgia. We expect a strong signal that the EU is closely monitoring
Georgia's young democracy and will follow through on the call made in
February by EU foreign ministers for a genuine multi-party system. But
the signs are not good. The Georgian government has ignored repeated
recommendations from the Council of Europe and other international
organisations to improve the state of democracy.
In December 2011, the government introduced legislation on
political-party funding that places huge burdens on opposition parties
and civil society. The UN special rapporteur on freedom of assembly
said that these provisions "appear to largely violate international
human-rights law". Hundreds of opposition activists were interrogated
in March, a systematic and blatant process of intimidation condemned
by the country's ombudsman.
After the EU and Western governments also called for "free and fair
elections", government-led interrogations stopped, but only briefly:
as the spotlight has moved away, the interrogations have resumed.
Opposition supporters and their families are being dismissed from
government jobs. The 'teacher of the year' was fired - for supporting
the opposition - a few days after gaining her award.
Most of the broadcast media remains under government control. There
are worrying reports of volunteer militias being recruited to defend
Georgia against undefined "enemies of the country".
Last October, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads Georgian Dream,
a coalition that includes the Republican Party, was stripped of
his citizenship by presidential decree days after he announced his
political aspirations. His efforts to regain his citizenship have
been thwarted by spurious government rulings.
My party was part of the coalition that brought Saakashvili to power
in 2003, but the hope of the Rose Revolution soon faded. We left the
ruling coalition in early 2004, when it became clear that he wished
to concentrate power in his own hands, to impose total political
control over the judiciary, media and business. After cracking down
brutally on the opposition in 2007, this authoritarian and unbalanced
ruler made a disastrous mistake for the country in 2008, when he led
Georgia into war with Russia.
As he nears the end of his final term as president, he has pushed
through constitutional amendments to transfer power from the president
to the next prime minister, who will take office after the presidential
elections in October 2013. It is not impossible that he will emulate
Russia's Vladimir Putin and choose himself for that role.
The Georgian Dream coalition offers a different approach. We want a
country that keeps the government accountable and not a "strong ruler"
who makes arbitrary decisions. We would engage seriously in EU-led
negotiations on the future of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, reflecting
our desire to join NATO and the EU and to normalise relations with
Russia. But we are not asking the EU or any other outsiders for
favouritism - only fairness.
The EU must strengthen its calls for free and fair elections, and
demand that the government adhere to its commitments and international
obligations. The EU initiated a media monitoring programme in late
April, but there needs now to be urgent international attention paid
to the entire electoral process. Voter lists are a particular concern.
To reduce the potential for manipulation, all the major opposition
political parties last year requested biometric voter registration.
The government refused the request. Allowing pre-registration of
voters before the election - as many countries do - would prevent
fraud. The government is, though, still refusing this option.
The EU must help deter further attempts at manipulation and
intimidation. By speaking loudly and clearly now, the EU would show
Saakashvili that it will judge the sincerity of Georgia's European
aspirations not by his rhetoric, but by his ability to deliver European
standards of political behaviour.
David Usupashvili is the chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia,
one of the members of the Georgian Dream coalition.
2012 European Voice. All rights reserved.
David Usupashvili
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/georgian-democracy-needs-the-eu-s-help/74302.aspx
With President Mikheil Saakashvili's commitment to democracy
increasingly in question, the EU must act.
In less than six months, parliamentary elections will be held in
Georgia. As well as being a political test for the parties involved,
these polls represent an important test of the democratic credentials
of the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili and the impact of
the EU's calls for political pluralism.
On 15 May, the European Commission will present its action plan for
Georgia. We expect a strong signal that the EU is closely monitoring
Georgia's young democracy and will follow through on the call made in
February by EU foreign ministers for a genuine multi-party system. But
the signs are not good. The Georgian government has ignored repeated
recommendations from the Council of Europe and other international
organisations to improve the state of democracy.
In December 2011, the government introduced legislation on
political-party funding that places huge burdens on opposition parties
and civil society. The UN special rapporteur on freedom of assembly
said that these provisions "appear to largely violate international
human-rights law". Hundreds of opposition activists were interrogated
in March, a systematic and blatant process of intimidation condemned
by the country's ombudsman.
After the EU and Western governments also called for "free and fair
elections", government-led interrogations stopped, but only briefly:
as the spotlight has moved away, the interrogations have resumed.
Opposition supporters and their families are being dismissed from
government jobs. The 'teacher of the year' was fired - for supporting
the opposition - a few days after gaining her award.
Most of the broadcast media remains under government control. There
are worrying reports of volunteer militias being recruited to defend
Georgia against undefined "enemies of the country".
Last October, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who leads Georgian Dream,
a coalition that includes the Republican Party, was stripped of
his citizenship by presidential decree days after he announced his
political aspirations. His efforts to regain his citizenship have
been thwarted by spurious government rulings.
My party was part of the coalition that brought Saakashvili to power
in 2003, but the hope of the Rose Revolution soon faded. We left the
ruling coalition in early 2004, when it became clear that he wished
to concentrate power in his own hands, to impose total political
control over the judiciary, media and business. After cracking down
brutally on the opposition in 2007, this authoritarian and unbalanced
ruler made a disastrous mistake for the country in 2008, when he led
Georgia into war with Russia.
As he nears the end of his final term as president, he has pushed
through constitutional amendments to transfer power from the president
to the next prime minister, who will take office after the presidential
elections in October 2013. It is not impossible that he will emulate
Russia's Vladimir Putin and choose himself for that role.
The Georgian Dream coalition offers a different approach. We want a
country that keeps the government accountable and not a "strong ruler"
who makes arbitrary decisions. We would engage seriously in EU-led
negotiations on the future of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, reflecting
our desire to join NATO and the EU and to normalise relations with
Russia. But we are not asking the EU or any other outsiders for
favouritism - only fairness.
The EU must strengthen its calls for free and fair elections, and
demand that the government adhere to its commitments and international
obligations. The EU initiated a media monitoring programme in late
April, but there needs now to be urgent international attention paid
to the entire electoral process. Voter lists are a particular concern.
To reduce the potential for manipulation, all the major opposition
political parties last year requested biometric voter registration.
The government refused the request. Allowing pre-registration of
voters before the election - as many countries do - would prevent
fraud. The government is, though, still refusing this option.
The EU must help deter further attempts at manipulation and
intimidation. By speaking loudly and clearly now, the EU would show
Saakashvili that it will judge the sincerity of Georgia's European
aspirations not by his rhetoric, but by his ability to deliver European
standards of political behaviour.
David Usupashvili is the chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia,
one of the members of the Georgian Dream coalition.
2012 European Voice. All rights reserved.