Georgia - News Archive

City Budget Raises Campaign Finance Controversy

Posted: 02/23/2010
Opposition politicians and pro-transparency groups are questioning increased social spending this year in Tbilisi, Georgia as local elections approach on May 30. Some allege that incumbent Mayor Gigi UGULAVA is offering a range of new, free services to boost his popularity in the city's first ever direct Mayoral vote. Services include medicine vouchers, skills classes, road construction, and job creation programs. UGULAVA told journalists that the allegations are unfounded.

Source: ElectionGuide

Faded Rose - Can Georgia's Democratic Dream Be Revived?

Posted: 08/03/2009
When Russia and Georgia went to war a year ago, it seemed to many that the hope and promise of the Rose Revolution had died. Recently, Georgians have expressed cautious optimism that the dream of a stable, democratic, and European country can be revived. Many, however, no longer trust President Mikheil Saakashvili and his entourage to deliver it.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Georgian Opposition Takes Time Out

Posted: 07/28/2009
The Georgian opposition parties that launched open-ended protests on April 9 in the hope of forcing President Mikheil Saakashvili to resign have suspended their daily protests until September.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Georgian president unveils reforms

Posted: 07/21/2009
Addressing parliament, Mr Saakashvili proposed early local elections, the direct election of mayors and a reduction in presidential powers...

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Pro-Moscow Parties Win Poll In Rebel Georgian Region

Posted: 06/01/2009
Parties supporting the pro-Moscow leader of Georgia's rebel South Ossetia province won parliamentary elections by a landslide, the region's chief spokeswoman has said.

Read full story. Source: Rferl.org

South Ossetians Elect Parliament

Posted: 06/01/2009
In another step away from Georgian rule, the breakaway territory voted in lawmakers loyal to the Russian-backed president.

Read full story. Source: NYT > International

South Ossetia Holds Elections, Defying EU And Russia

Posted: 06/01/2009
South Ossetia, a region seeking independence from Georgia, last weekend held parliamentary elections in defiance of Georgian and European Union officials. Russia recognizes South Ossetia while Georgia and other states do not. Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization held contemporaneous military exercises in Georgia. The South Ossetian parliament contains 34 seats.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgian Opposition Divided Over Tactics In Wake Of Inconclusive Meeting With President

Posted: 05/12/2009
Talks on May 11 between Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and four prominent opposition leaders failed to yield any progress toward a compromise that would end the month-old political standoff.

Read full story. Source: Rferl.org

Mutiny in the Georgian army is a sign of institutional trouble

Posted: 05/05/2009
The fact that a whole tank battalion, which is a large force for a small Georgian army, started a mutiny signifies institutional trouble in Mikhail Saakashvili's powerbase, says Fred Weir from Christian Science Monitor.

Read full story. Source: RT : Politics

Georgia Says Rebellion Quelled

Posted: 05/05/2009
Georgia sent tanks to put down a rebellion at a military base near the capital, Tbilisi. President Mikheil Saakashvili called the rebellion a "serious threat" but said the mutineers had been isolated. Tbilisi accused Russia of financing a "coup," a charge Moscow denies.

Read full story. Source: Rferl.org

S Ossetia releases OSCE observers

Posted: 04/21/2009
The OSCE condemns the brief detention of two observers by separatist forces in Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Georgia resists Moscow-inspired unrest: Saakashvili

Posted: 04/14/2009
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia will not succumb to Russian efforts to foment unrest, President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Tuesday as protesters took to the streets for a sixth day to demand his resignation.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International News

Georgia protesters step up drive to oust president

Posted: 04/13/2009
TBILISI (Reuters) - Protesters in Georgia set up camp outside President Mikheil Saakashvili's office on Monday and the EU urged talks on the fifth day of an opposition street campaign against his rule.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International News

Opposition grows louder in Georgia

Posted: 01/29/2009
Georgia's scattered political opposition gathered Thursday to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili and called for early presidential and parliamentary elections.

Read full story. Source: Europe - International Herald Tribune

Opposition Parties Protest Georgia Election Results

Posted: 05/27/2008
The United Opposition bloc, together with the Christian-Democratic, Labor, and Republican parties, led thousands of supporters in a march on the parliament building in Tbilisi on May 26, protesting the announced results of the May 21st parliamentary elections and demanding a new vote. The protestors set a deadline of 4pm on Monday for the Central Election Commission (CEC) to nullify the results—a demand that went unheeded. According to the electoral commission's projections, President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI's United National Movement won 120 of 150 seats with nearly 60 percent of the vote. The United Opposition on Monday stated it would boycott the 16 seats it won. According to the CEC, final results will be announced on June 8. The OSCE noted "problems" in the course of the electoral campaign but also "substantial progress" since the much-criticized January presidential election.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgian poll landslide confirmed

Posted: 05/23/2008
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's party takes a huge majority in parliament after a landslide poll win.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Saakashvili's party projected to win in Georgia

Posted: 05/23/2008
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- Georgia's election commission says President Mikhail Saakashvili's party is on track for a huge majority in Parliament....

Read full story. Source: AP Top International News

Georgian Ruling Party Headed Toward Parliamentary Win

Posted: 05/23/2008
Early results show President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI’s National Movement Party has won 59% of the vote after Georgian voters went to the polls this week to elect 150 members of parliament. The Central Election Commission’s (CEC) early results show the National Movement Party with 59% of the vote, the nine-party opposition bloc with 18%, the Christian-Democratic Party with 9%, the Labor Party with 7% and the Republican Party with 4% of the vote. The CEC also projects the National Movement Party will most likely secure about 120 of the 150 seats in parliament. Since the election, the opposition has made claims of vote rigging and today the nine party opposition bloc said it will not accept election results and called for protest rallies. Despite some members of the opposition claiming fraud, the opposition Republican Party conceded defeat after preliminary results showed them receiving less than 5% of votes needed to pass the threshold. The OSCE International Observation Mission says the elections were generally in line with international standards, but many problems were found that made voting “uneven and incomplete.” Voting day was relatively calm in most areas, but some incidents of intimidation have been reported, as well as incidents of other election violence particularly in the separatist region of Abkhazia. A free and fair election is seen as key to persuading European states that Georgia should be made a NATO member despite Russian objections.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia vote positive but many problems: monitors

Posted: 05/22/2008
TBILISI (Reuters) - President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed victory on Thursday in Georgia's parliamentary poll, which Europe's main election watchdog said was "generally positive" despite cases of intimidation.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgia votes, opposition vows major rally

Posted: 05/21/2008
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgians voted for a new parliament on Wednesday but the opposition accused President Mikheil Saakashvili of trying to rig the election and vowed to hold a huge protest rally in the capital.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Russia's Lavrov to attend Georgia inauguration

Posted: 01/16/2008
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will travel to Tbilisi for Mikhail Saakashvili's inauguration as Georgian president, his press department said on Wednesday, despite tense relations between the two countries.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgia charges opposition tycoon with coup plot

Posted: 01/10/2008
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian prosecutors on Thursday charged one of President Mikhail Saakashvili's most powerful opponents, Badri Patarkatsishvili, with plotting a coup and attempting to organize a terrorist attack.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgian Presidential Elections

Posted: 01/10/2008
Preliminary results show that Georgian President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI was elected to a 2nd term in Saturday’s snap elections. On January 9 the Central Election Commission announced that SAAKASHVILI narrowly avoided a runoff by wining more than half the votes cast with 52.21% over the 25.26% garnered by opposition leader Levan GACHECHILADZE. Opposition groups have complained of fraud and demanded a presidential runoff in the wake of the close vote. Despite initial reports that the January 5th contest met international standards, on January 10 the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) cited incidents of fraud such as incomplete voter lists, intimidation at the polls and falsification of vote counts. The nine-party opposition coalition will pursue legal measures against the election results and have planned a street protest for Sunday.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia confirms Saakashvili win

Posted: 01/09/2008
Official results confirm Mikhail Saakashvili's victory in presidential elections in Georgia last week.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

President Saakashvili says Georgia is on way to democracy

Posted: 01/07/2008
Mikheil Saakashvili says he knows his country needs to make changes. But he argued Monday that the election that returned him to Georgia's presidency for a second term showed that the former Soviet republic was on the road to becoming a European democracy.

Read full story. Source: Europe - International Herald Tribune

Georgia poll manipulation feared

Posted: 01/04/2008
Georgia's main opposition leader says the authorities are preparing to rig Saturday's presidential election.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Unpredictable election a democracy test for Georgia

Posted: 01/03/2008
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian leader Mikhail Saakashvili is likely to win this Saturday's snap presidential election but most analysts and polls say it is unclear if his victory will be decisive enough to avoid a second-round run-off.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Mikheil Saakashvili, president of Georgia, is seen likely winning a new term

Posted: 12/30/2007
But the vote will have to be untarnished if he is to regain his tattered reputation as a champion of democracy.

Read full story. Source: Europe - International Herald Tribune

Mikheil Saakashvili, president of Georgia, is seen likely winning a new term

Posted: 12/30/2007
But the vote will have to be untarnished if he is to regain his tattered reputation as a champion of democracy.

Read full story. Source: Europe - International Herald Tribune

Georgian president to name new PM: spokeswoman

Posted: 11/16/2007
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will sack his prime minister and name a replacement after a cabinet meeting on Friday evening, the presidential press service said.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgia Opposition Nominates Candidate, Emergency Rule Set to End Friday

Posted: 11/15/2007
The Georgian opposition has nominated Levan GACHECHILADZE, a member of the New Rights Party in Parliament, for the early presidential elections slated to occur on January 5, 2008. The announcement of GACHECHILADZE’s candidacy was the opposition’s first statement since President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI declared a 15-day state of emergency on November 7 that restricted political demonstrations and independent news media. On November 15, Parliament voted almost unanimously to end the emergency on Friday, November 16—six days earlier than planned. However, the opposition news station Imedi has said there is a court order that will keep them off of the air even after the state of emergency is lifted. The opposition, consisting of a 10-party coalition, has promised to decrease the power of the president if they win the January poll.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia to lift emergency rule on Friday

Posted: 11/14/2007
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia announced on Wednesday it would lift its state of emergency on November16, a step that may temper Western concerns it has backtracked on its commitment to democracy.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Challenger Named in Georgian Election

Posted: 11/12/2007
Georgia's opposition on Monday nominated the owner of a winemaking company to face President Mikheil Saakashvili in early presidential elections, scheduled for Jan. 5.

Read full story. Source: NYT > International

Troops enforce Georgia emergency

Posted: 11/08/2007
Troops and police enforce a state of emergency in Georgia's capital after clashes with opposition protesters.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Georgian Leader Imposes a State of Emergency

Posted: 11/08/2007
Riot police employed extensive force Wednesday in the face of protests against the country's pro-Western government.

Read full story. Source: NYT > International

Georgian President SAAKASHVILI Announces Early Polls

Posted: 11/08/2007
President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI announced Thursday that the presidential election would be scheduled for January 5, 2008, instead of late 2008 as originally planned, and that a parallel referendum would also be held to ask voters if they would prefer parliamentary elections in spring 2008 instead of the scheduled fall 2008 poll. SAAKASHVILI announced the early polls following six days of protests and the 15-day state of emergency he declared on Wednesday. Opposition groups organized the rallies calling for SAAKASHVILI’s resignation and early elections and had upwards of 50,000 attend. SAAKASHVILI was elected four years ago following the Rose Revolution, a wave of mass protests that alleged electoral fraud in the 2003 poll and forced the resignation of President SHEVARDNADZE. SAAKASHVILI has said that he still plans to run for a second presidential term.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgian police use force to break up protest

Posted: 11/07/2007
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian riot police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon on Wednesday to break up a six-day-old rally by protesters demanding the resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Competing for votes in South Ossetia

Posted: 11/18/2006
Two referendums in this tiny area of Georgia have only exacerbated divisions in a region which has seen much violence, reports Matthew Collin.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Defiant Saakashvili votes in Georgia local polls

Posted: 10/05/2006
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili voted on Thursday in local elections which will test his popularity after a major confrontation with Russia.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgian rebel region to vote on independence

Posted: 09/11/2006
TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia said on Monday it will hold a referendum on independence in November, in a move that is likely to escalate tensions between Russia and Georgia.

Read full story. Source: Reuters: International

Georgia's President Dissolves Ajarian Parliamentary Body in Response to Leader's Resignation

Posted: 05/11/2004
On May 6, Aslan ABASHIDZE resigned from his post as leader of Ajaria, one of three breakaway provinces in the Republic of Georgia. In response, Georgian President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI dissolved the Ajarian parliamentary body until elections can be held. They are due in June, though no specific date has been set. Many analysts believe that elections will establish a cabinet of ministers to administer the province rather than a replacement for ABASHIDZE.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia Announces Preliminary Results of Parliamentary Elections

Posted: 03/29/2004
On March 28, Georgian voters elected 150 new members in the 235-seat Supreme Council (or parliament). According to the preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC) approximately 1,473,284 voters cast ballots, with President Mikhail SAAKASHVILI’s National Movement-Democrat Party securing more than 76% of the valid votes. The Sunday election was called to replace the results of a November 2, 2003 parliamentary election, which was declared invalid due to allegations of electoral fraud.  Final figures for this election will not be available until later this week.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia Announces Preliminary Results for Presidential Election

Posted: 01/05/2004
Voters went to the polls on January 4th to elect a new president. According to preliminary results released by the Central Election Commission (CEC), Mikhail SAAKASHVILI of the New National Movement secured the presidency with 85.8% of the votes cast.   Approximately 83% of the country’s 2.1 million registered voters cast their ballots.  Final results will not be available until mid-week.

Source: ElectionGuide

Names of Registered Candidates for Georgia's Presidential Elections Announced

Posted: 12/15/2003
With presidential elections slated for January 4th, six candidates have registered to participate in the race. According to the Central Election Commission, the registered candidates include Mikhail SAAKASHVILI of the United National Movement, former governor Temur SHASHIASHVILI, Kartlos GHARIBASHVILI, Ron LIPARTELIANI, Zurab KELESKSASHVILI, and Zaza SIKHARULIDZE of the League of the Disabled.  Another candidate, former State Security Minister Igor GIORGADZE was not formally approved due to an international arrest warrant and inability to prove that he had lived in Georgia for at least 3 years.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia's President Resigns from Office

Posted: 11/25/2003
On November 23, President Eduard SHEVARDNADZE resigned from office after weeks of protests and pressure from opposition groups due to controversies surrounding the parliamentary elections of November 2. In his place, former Parliament Speaker Nino BURJANADZE will act as interim president. Under the constitution, the interim government must call for new elections within 45 days. In the meantime, BURJANADZE announced that the parliament dissolved prior to the November elections will be recalled and act as a provisional assembly until an election date is set.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia Announces Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Date of January 4

Posted: 11/25/2003
On November 25, the interim government of Georgia announced that it will hold elections on January 4 for both the presidency and the 235 seat parliament. This announcement came shortly after the Georgian Supreme Court officially annulled the results from the November 2 parliamentary elections.

Source: ElectionGuide

Georgia Announces Parliamentary Election Date of November 2

Posted: 04/07/2003
Georgia will hold parliamentary elections on November 2, 2003.? The elections will contest the 235 seats in the country’s unicameral Supreme Council, which was last held on October-November 1999. No dates have been set for registration, but a coalition that supports the president called ‘For a New Georgia” has been created and held its first meeting on April 6.

Source: ElectionGuide

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