1. November 25, 2007 Media Freedom
In an interview on the day of his resignation from the presidency to run for re-election, Mikheil Saakashvili indicates that Imedi Television, a pro-opposition station shut down in the wake of the November 7 unrest in Tbilisi, will be allowed to resume broadcasting if assurances are given "that there is no more threat that [former Imedi co-owner Badri] Patarkatsishvili will seek to enact a violent scenario through his dirty game and we have guarantees within the framework
of the law that this will not happen."
Imedi TV returned to the airwaves on December 12, 2007. Television staff say that damage done to their equipment during the takeover means that they must limit their news broadcasts, however. Amidst the presidential campaign, questions about Badri Patarkatsishvili's ownership stake appear to have dropped into the background. Nonetheless, with encouragement from the international community and government, a media council, chaired by Polish journalist Adam Michnik, has been set up to monitor and discuss Georgian TV broadcasts' observance of professional ethics.
2. October 30, 2007 End of Russian Peacekeepers in Abkhazia?
President Mikheil Saakashvili vowed to review the CIS peacekeepers' mandate in Abkhazia after an alleged incident in Ganmukhuri, a Georgian village near the Abkhazian conflict zone. According to Saakashvili, Georgian police officers were attacked by a group of Russian peacekeepers on patrol in the area. The president demanded the immediate departure of the head of the peacekeeping forces, Sergei Chaban. The Georgian government has repeatedly attempted over the past two years to bring in international peacekeepers. Tbilisi claims that the continued presence of the Russian peacekeepers is one of the biggest obstacles to resolving the conflict with the breakaway region.
Russian peacekeepers remain the only peacekeeping force in the conflict zone, with the exception of the United Nations Observer Mission. On October 31, Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze affirmed that a decision about the peacekeepers' withdrawal would be made "in consultation with our international partners." While some countries, including Poland and Ukraine, had previously promised to supply peacekeepers, to date there has been little international support for the initiative. On November 27, the CIS re-endorsed Sergei Chaban's post as head of the Abkhaz peacekeeping operation.
3. April 17, 2007 Beefing Up Georgia's Military Reserve
At a review of newly trained reservists, Saakashvili vowed to double the country's reserve forces to 100,000 in order to strengthen the country's defenses against enemies who "seek to eat up pieces of Georgia with a knife and fork." According to media reports, 20,000 new reservists will have to be trained annually to meet the goal by 2012.
The Georgian defense ministry did not provide data to EurasiaNet on the reservist program, but, according to media reports, tens of thousands of men from the ages of 27-40 have participated in the 18-day sessions since their start. The program is planned for the next five years.
4. May 10, 2006 Hands Off Business
At a cabinet meeting, the president promised that no government official would interfere with businesses, no matter the size. Georgia has a long history of government harassment of businesses in the form of bribes, inefficient bureaucracy and unwarranted tax inspections. "Even the smallest entrepreneur should not feel that there is a government official, a governor, who might create any problem to his business," Saakashvili said. He also pledged to liberalize Georgia's business climate, and to destroy any "artificial" barrier for setting up small businesses. "I want everyone to understand one thing - Georgia is open for business," he said.
Over the past two years, Georgia has dramatically improved its rating in the World Bank's Doing Business report. In 2007, it shot up to 18th place from 35th. The biggest reforms included the reduction of licenses and permits and the time it takes to start a business, which now takes as little as three days for processing paperwork. The customs code, labor code and bankruptcy law have also been modernized from their previous Soviet versions. While the business community has largely applauded the government's work in such areas, little is known about the new bankruptcy law.
Despite these improvements, problems with the investment climate persist, including the government's habit of asking businesses to "volunteer" funds for various government projects; in late 2007, Georgia's new Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze approached large business owners to help fund Saakashvili's proposed ambitious new social welfare program and "cheap" credit bank. In addition, businesses still feel the threat of random tax inspections and the financial police. There is also concern that there are not enough tax incentives for investment.
5. April 18, 2006 "Fair Play" with Opposition
Saakashvili promised to accept criticism from and support the development of Georgia's relatively fragmented opposition. He stressed the need to "observe the rules of the game" and to use the opposition to make the government stronger by listening to criticism and allowing the opposition to express its opinion on policy proposals.
In October 2007, the president finally proposed the necessary legislation to lower the electoral threshold to enter parliament from 7 percent to 5 percent. In November 2007, election code ammendments paved the way for six opposition parties (the Conservative Party, Freedom Party, Industrialists Party, Labor Party, New Rights Party and Republican Party) to name representatives to the Central Election Commission. The government holds the remaining seven seats, though all decisions taken require a two-thirds majority vote.
However, the government's reaction to the opposition-led protests on November 7, 2007 has sparked strong debate about its openness to criticism. Observers have also criticized how the government handled its case against former-defense-minister-turned-opposition-leader Irakli Okruashvli. Government supporters have countered that the measures were required to foil an attempt, allegedly coordinated with Moscow, at destabilizing Georgia.
