Welcome back! The Daily Dispatch is our editorial take on the past day’s news. You can subscribe here to get it in your mailbox. We want to know what you think, and how can be of more help – click here to write to us!
FRIENDLY REMINDER The U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo phoned the Georgian PM to remind him of the importance of “the importance of holding free, fair, and transparent elections in Georgia this October”. Secretary Pompeo also urged to keep the judiciary free of political influence. It does not look well when such public reminders are needed.
GOING SOLO The United National Movement (UNM) will run their own candidates for majoritarian MPs in Georgia’s 22 districts that are outside the capital. As you remember, UNM agreed to go alongside the united opposition – a grouping that was campaigning for more proportional polls – in Tbilisi. Speaking on behalf of the united opposition, European Georgia’s Gigi Ugulava tried not to dramatize, but the fact remains – the opposition will inevitably hurt each other by splitting the vote.
NOXIOUS Georgian Center of Infectious Pathology and AIDS – who have been at the forefront of fighting COVID-19 pandemic – slammed the former Health Minister David Sergeenko for apparently claiming credit for the Center’s successes in a late-night talk show. Outraged doctors compared Sergeenko’s deeds to those of Herostratus, who sought notoriety by destroying the Temple of Arthemis in Ephesus. Ouch.
On that note, PM Gakharia recently pledged to get the Center its new home. Could it be that the modern Aesculapians got entangled in a court intrigue their new sponsor against the old party favorite Sergeenko?
TOWERS! Many a visitor has contemplated the beauty of the Svanetian towers – medieval high-rises which protected the local clans against invaders and against local vendettas. One can say the political priorities of LELO, a yellow-bannered outfit of a banker-cum-politician, Mamuka Khazaradze have caused an equal degree of wonder. Now the two came together in a true Georgian polyphonic harmony: “When we come to power, our number one task would be to restore Svanetian towers,” said Khazaradze while visiting the province. Truly, for a party that aspires to do things the new way, on a campaign trail LELO is full of old, tired platitudes.
That’s full lid for today!
