Georgia, some say, is a small country with big egos. October 27th will see some of those egos on display as Georgians head to the polls to pick their next president. Two egos that have dominated the political scene are on their way out: Mikheil Saakashvili, the outgoing two-term president, and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the reclusive billionaire who will be leaving his post after a one-year stint as Prime Minister. These two figures have served as the head of their respective parties, and there is some question of what will happen to Georgia once both of them are no longer a part of the political scene (though there is question of whether Ivanishvili really intends to leave).
The candidate in the lead is Giorgi Margvelashvili, a close friend of Ivanishvili who was a philosophy professor before he became Georgia’s Education Minister and, subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister. Margvelashvili is a part of Ivanshvili’s Georgian Dream party, a coalition of six other parties that are generally economically liberal and pro-Western. Margvelashvili is currently expected to receive 39 percent of the vote, and behind him with an expected 18 percent is David Bakradze. Bakradze, a former Parliamentary Speaker, is part of the United National Movement (UNM), the same party as the outgoing president. UNM has generally been more populist, and is in favor of closer ties with the United States. In third place is Nino Burjandadze, of the Democratic Movement, with a slim 7 percent of the expected vote.
Whoever wins the presidency will be inheriting a role with much-diminished power, as Georgians recently decided on a constitutional change to the position. Other than that, the winner will inherit a difficult job. During the first decade of the century, Georgia experienced strong economic growth. However, foreign investment has been drying up, and the economy has started to slow.
The other big issue in Georgia is what to do with its gorilla-neighbor–Russia. The memory of the 2008 four-day war between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia is still fresh in many people’s minds. Members of both the UNM and Georgian Dream parties have talked of joining NATO–a move that Russians would strongly oppose.
Another issue is the state of Georgia’s democracy. Though many in the West have hailed Georgia’s elections in the past, there have been increasing encroachments on rights in the last few years. Luckily, last year’s election of Ivanishvili went off without a hitch (though Ivanishvili loudly predicted that there would be vote-fixing). However, claims of corruption at the top as well as violence and unlawful arrests are becoming more frequent.
Lastly, there is the question of what role Ivanishvili intends to play after he steps down. Ivanishvili has said that he plans to still be involved with the government, but not through his position as Prime Minister. Many have taken this to mean that he plans to pull strings behind the scenes. His chosen successor–the leading Margvelashvili–has little political experience and a close relationship with the outgoing billionaire. Ivanishvili has also both refused to state who he has chosen to take his place as Prime Minister as well as issued a statement that, should Margvelashvili not receive a majority vote (triggering a run-off), he would like Margvelashvili to drop out of the race. Whether this was a veiled threat to the public that Ivanishvili wants his candidate to win or else he will take his funds elsewhere is unclear.
Georgia faces difficult problems with both its neighbors and its economy. Should Marvelashvili win, some question how long the Georgian Dream coalition will stay together without Ivanishvili. Accordingly, it seems that some of the big egos of the past are still playing a big role in this little country, even after they step out of the spotlight.
Photo: George Mel (cc).
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Georgians Go to the Polls; Saakashvili's Term Ends
October 26, 2013
Georgia, some say, is a small country with big egos. October 27th will see some of those egos on display as Georgians head to the polls to pick their next president. Two egos that have dominated the political scene are on their way out: Mikheil Saakashvili, the outgoing two-term president, and Bidzina Ivanishvili, the reclusive billionaire who will be leaving his post after a one-year stint as Prime Minister. These two figures have served as the head of their respective parties, and there is some question of what will happen to Georgia once both of them are no longer a part of the political scene (though there is question of whether Ivanishvili really intends to leave).
The candidate in the lead is Giorgi Margvelashvili, a close friend of Ivanishvili who was a philosophy professor before he became Georgia’s Education Minister and, subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister. Margvelashvili is a part of Ivanshvili’s Georgian Dream party, a coalition of six other parties that are generally economically liberal and pro-Western. Margvelashvili is currently expected to receive 39 percent of the vote, and behind him with an expected 18 percent is David Bakradze. Bakradze, a former Parliamentary Speaker, is part of the United National Movement (UNM), the same party as the outgoing president. UNM has generally been more populist, and is in favor of closer ties with the United States. In third place is Nino Burjandadze, of the Democratic Movement, with a slim 7 percent of the expected vote.
Whoever wins the presidency will be inheriting a role with much-diminished power, as Georgians recently decided on a constitutional change to the position. Other than that, the winner will inherit a difficult job. During the first decade of the century, Georgia experienced strong economic growth. However, foreign investment has been drying up, and the economy has started to slow.
The other big issue in Georgia is what to do with its gorilla-neighbor–Russia. The memory of the 2008 four-day war between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia is still fresh in many people’s minds. Members of both the UNM and Georgian Dream parties have talked of joining NATO–a move that Russians would strongly oppose.
Another issue is the state of Georgia’s democracy. Though many in the West have hailed Georgia’s elections in the past, there have been increasing encroachments on rights in the last few years. Luckily, last year’s election of Ivanishvili went off without a hitch (though Ivanishvili loudly predicted that there would be vote-fixing). However, claims of corruption at the top as well as violence and unlawful arrests are becoming more frequent.
Lastly, there is the question of what role Ivanishvili intends to play after he steps down. Ivanishvili has said that he plans to still be involved with the government, but not through his position as Prime Minister. Many have taken this to mean that he plans to pull strings behind the scenes. His chosen successor–the leading Margvelashvili–has little political experience and a close relationship with the outgoing billionaire. Ivanishvili has also both refused to state who he has chosen to take his place as Prime Minister as well as issued a statement that, should Margvelashvili not receive a majority vote (triggering a run-off), he would like Margvelashvili to drop out of the race. Whether this was a veiled threat to the public that Ivanishvili wants his candidate to win or else he will take his funds elsewhere is unclear.
Georgia faces difficult problems with both its neighbors and its economy. Should Marvelashvili win, some question how long the Georgian Dream coalition will stay together without Ivanishvili. Accordingly, it seems that some of the big egos of the past are still playing a big role in this little country, even after they step out of the spotlight.
Photo: George Mel (cc).
