2002 – Another Year of Political Failure

The Resonance

(Georgia Press Digest. Civil Georgia. 29.12.01.) – The Resonance tries to identify what the political division will be like next year in the legislative executive governmental branches and correspondingly what the country will be like.

“Georgian political spectrum meets the new year without any special achievements”, the paper assumes. It says the society will be busy with enjoying governmental shows again next year, which unfortunately will have no positive results.

Member of the New Right Wings faction Irakli Batiashvili is hopeful about the upcoming year and presumes that the country will expect positive changes after deep crisis. Former MP Irakli Melashvili does not expect any transformations. He says nothing will change until “the main thing” – President Shevardnadze is changed.

As to Eduard Shevardnadze, the paper says he finds it easy to get political platform in the Parliament, “he does not need a long-term political platform though”. “The President will manage to cooperate with all factions somehow especially to the ones representing real power in the government”, MP Vasil Maghlaferideze told the Resonance.

The paper talks about the former ruling party as well and mentions the President in an ironic context: “the Citizens Union is the only party after the Communist one Shevardnadze was devoted to for quite a long time”. 

According to the Resonance, the New Right Wings faction and the New National Movement (headed by ex-Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili) have the best perspectives among political powers next year. The first one has much money and financial support for strengthening its positions and the other one is greatly supported by some parts of the society.

At the end of the article it is noted that money and power decide many things in Georgia nowadays and while talking about new political divisions it is said that everything new is well forgotten old.