By Molly Corso | Photos by Molly Corso: 12/18/07

In the ongoing battle over social welfare benefits for Georgian voters, the loudest salvos, until recently, have arguably been fired by former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s campaign. But a December 18 statement by tycoon candidate Badri Patarkatsishvili that, if elected, he would spend $1.5 billion of his own money on such projects indicates that the battle is far from over. Nevertheless, despite the promised largesse, some residents in one poverty-stricken Georgian region argue that the pledged handouts come too little, too late.

The offers made for the first 18 months of a potential Patarkatsishvili administration range from the monumental – purchasing Georgia’s entire grape and citrus harvest – to what are now nearly routine candidate pledges to assist with monthly utility payments. Six hundred lari (about $377) per year would also be granted to the unemployed pending the establishment of a state program, and minimum monthly wages would be set at 300 lari (about $188) – a prospect that sparked a run on Patarkatsishvili’s campaign offices on December 17 after an interview with the candidate was broadcast by Imedi Radio, a station which he founded.

A second phase of the Patarkatsishvili program would allegedly involve exemptions from corporate income tax in a bid to boost employment by a rapid-fire 20 percent within two years. [For details, see an English-language translation posted on Civil.ge]

In response to the promises, Levan Bezhashvili, chairman of the parliamentary committee for legal issues, said that the statement can only be considered voter bribery and should be “considered” by the Central Election Commission (CEC) for reprimand. CEC Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili has earlier expressed misgivings about Patarkatsishvili’s reported promises.

Acting President Nino Burjanadze created an inter-government agency to follow up on any alleged attempt at bribery or other election law violation, and has spoken out strongly for the need for a spotless election.

Meanwhile, former President Saakashvili on December 16 laid out his own plan for eradicating poverty from Georgia.

In a televised 30-minute speech, Saakashvili pledged that his administration would attack poverty on three different fronts: healthcare, pensions and access to credit. While few concrete details are currently available, Saakashvili had earlier pledged to raise monthly pensions from the current level of 55 lari (roughly $34) to $100 by 2009. He has also vowed help to socially vulnerable families through a private business-funded program that will provide families with a one-time payment of 1000 lari (roughly $629) for every newborn child. Additional services include free healthcare for nearly 700,000 of the neediest families and a “dignified” job for everyone.

In his speech, the former Georgian leader hit back at the opposition, who have been questioning his commitment to social programs, a theme that gained particular prominence after the November 7 disturbances.

“All these reforms are aimed at one purpose – getting closer to the day when we could really begin to fight against poverty,” he said. “I don't just want the votes of such people, who are many and who already live in a better Georgia, in a Georgia which is already without poverty…I want to restore hope to those who have lost it.”

In the rural communities of Guria, a hardscrabble region of Georgia some 300 kilometers to the west from Tbilisi, there are many such voters. The mandarins and tea on which Guria’s economy traditionally depended have now lost access to their main market, Russia. Nor has tourism provided an alternative for jobs, despite the presence of two popular resort spots -- Ureki, famed for its black sand beaches, and the summer mountain village of Bakhmaro

In theory, Guria would seem a receptive audience for the promises of both Saakashvili and Patarkatsishvili.

As a better known public figure, Saakashvili is usually the first to spark a response. Residents say that they are pleased with the new roads and regular electricity supplies that have come under his administration, but note that their concern about jobs outweighs these benefits – a complaint heard throughout rural Georgia.

That prompts many residents to take the former president’s promises of increased pensions and improved wages with a grain of salt. Izo Chartishvili, who works as a cook in a government-funded childcare facility in the village of Supsa, says that her vote is partly tied to her salary. “Why should I vote for Saakashvili if the government only pays me 67 lari (approximately $42) a month?” she asked.

But the skepticism is not limited to Saakashvili. Locals say that Patarkatsishvili’s own history of investment in Ureki -- a park and pavilion called Imedi -- has proved more show than substance.

Opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze, who visited Guria's regional seat, Lanchkhuti, on December 7, has pledged to increase salaries for state employees and to make healthcare affordable. Likewise, New Rights Party leader Davit Gamkrelidze, who came to Lanchkhuti on December 8, has promised free healthcare for children and the elderly.

But these promises are also met with just a shrug of the shoulder.

Other villagers are taking a more pragmatic stance to the election. According to Varden, a Supsa pensioner who refused to give his last name, while many people speak poorly about “Misha” (the popular nickname for Saakashvili), in the end, much will depend on who receives what from new government programs launched before the campaign.

Said Varden: “It is still too early to tell.”

---

Editorâs Note: Molly Corso is a freelance reporter and photojournalist based in Tbilisi.