Tag Archives: politics

Georgia’s Orthodox Church

OCT. 7 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – >> I read earlier in the Bulletin that the Pope flew over to Tbilisi but wasn’t warmly received. This surprised me as I thought the Pope was generally greeted by massive grounds wherever he went.

>> You’re right. Georgians gave Pope Francis a luke- warm welcome. Staff at the Vatican had probably been expecting a far more friendly touch down but then Georgia has a complicated relationship with the Catholic Church.

>> So what actually happened in Georgia?

>> Essentially, although the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, greeted Pope Francis, he was made to feel unwelcome. Many Orthodox priests told their congregations to stay away from his Papal mass on the Saturday and a hardcore group of Orthodox believers followed him around shouting various slogans against the Catholic Church.

>> Right, the sound fairly active? Outside the Pope’s visit, is the Orthodox Church influential in Georgia?

>> Yes, very. Around 80% of Georgians identify themselves as Orthodox. The Patriarch, Ilia II, is one of the most powerful men in the country and is often turned to in times of crisis. He has brokered deals between rival political leaders. Presidents and prime ministers are careful to be seen attending church and meeting with the Patriarch. He is also a staunch conservative, holding views that represent those of many in Georgia.

The Georgian Orthodox is anti-gay rights and same sex marriage, for example. There are often Orthodox priests leading anti-gay rights marches.

And the Georgian Orthodox Church an incredibly influential body. Public opinion surveys consistently rank it as the most trusted public body in Georgia.

>> I see. But is the Orthodox Church involved any way in Georgia’s foreign policy?

>> Not officially. Georgia’s constitution states that the Orthodox Church is fully independent of the state. That said it has played a major role on occasion. After Georgia and Russia fought a brief war in 2008 over the disputed region of South Ossetia, it was the Patriarch who was able to reach out to the Russian side and begin to mend relations. He was in Moscow towards the end of 2008 to see the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexey II, for the last time. While he was there he also met up with Dmitri Medvedev, then Russia’s president. This was considered a vital first step towards pulling Georgia and Russia together.

>> So, Ilia II is definitely a bit of an all-rounded then. He seems to play a major role in domestic affairs, influencing public opinion, and also happy to deal in high level diplomacy in international affairs.

>> He’s certainly a major factor in modern Georgia. Watch out for his reaction to any issues before or after the parliamentary election in Georgia on Oct. 8.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Kyrgyz President says he had heart attack

OCT. 3 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said that he had had a heart attack while en route to New York for a UN meeting and that he was back at work after undergoing medical care. On Sept. 19, Mr Atambayev cancelled the trip to the UN Annual Assembly after suffering chest pains during a layover in Turkey. He later flew to Russia for medical care before returning to Bishkek at the weekend.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Uzbek media reports reappearance of Gulnara on Twitter

OCT. 4 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Uzbek local media reported the reappearance of Gulnara Karimova, eldest daughter of the late Uzbek President Islam Karimov, on Twitter. Ms Karimova, whose account is not confirmed, has been under house arrest since 2014. Through the new account, Zabitaya1972, which roughly translates into ‘beaten’ followed by her year of birth, Ms Karimova allegedly published a letter denouncing acting President and PM Shavkat Mirziyoyev of excluding her from her father’s funeral in September.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Kyrgyz court starts re-trial for Askarov

OCT. 4 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – A Kyrgyz court started a re-trial of Azimzhan Askarov, a human rights activist jailed for life after being accused of stirring ethnic hatred during the 2010 revolution that toppled former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Under pressure from international human rights lobby groups, Kyrgyzstan’s Supreme Court ordered a re-trial in July. At the first hearing, Askarov pleaded not guilty.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Tension rises ahead of Georgia election after car bomb

TBILISI, OCT. 3 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — A bomb exploded under the car of leading UNM parliamentarian Givi Targamadze in central Tbilisi, the most serious act of violence in a heated, and at times dangerous, campaign ahead of Georgia’s parliamentary election on Saturday.

Media reported that Mr Targamadze and his driver were unhurt in the blast, although four other people were injured.

The United National Movement party (UNM), backed by former President Mikheil Saakashvili, immediately accused the ruling Georgian Dream coalition, backed by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, of planning the bomb attack.

“I think he (Targamadze) was chosen as a target because he has been keeping active contacts with the law enforcement which scares Ivanishvili very much,” Mr Saakashvili said on his Facebook page.

The Georgian Dream has denied any involvement and its supporters have instead said that the UNM planted the bomb itself to destabilise the country.

Georgia’s parliamentary election campaign has become increasingly fraught as polling day approaches.

Opposing MPs have fought on live TV debates, three supporters of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition were allegedly beaten up by a group of UNM supporters and last week two men were shot and injured at a rally being given by Irakli Okruashvili, a former Georgian defence minister.

Analysts have said that the election is too close to call.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 299, published on Oct. 7 2016)

Kyrgyzstan approves constitutional referendum

BISHKEK, SEPT. 29 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Kyrgyzstan’s parliament approved President Almazbek Atambayev’s plans to hold a referendum at on Dec. 4 on altering the constitution to give the PM more power.

The planned constitutional reforms are controversial.

Kyrgyzstan’s current constitution was organised in 2010 after a revolution. To many, it feels that changing it now would be an insult to those people who died in that revolution.

Opposition groups also accuse Mr Atambayev of wanting to move into the PM’s position once he leaves the presidency next year and it has also triggered a fall out with his highly regarded predecessor, Roza Otunbayeva.

In Bishkek opinion was split.

“I think the changes are needed because everyone talks about them in the media,” said Elnur, a 32-year-old driver. Samat, 24, disagreed.

“We do not need changes,” he said. “The whole process reminds me of former presidents of Kyrgyzstan.”

Two former presidents were overthrown after trying to change the constitution.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 298, published on Sept. 30 2016)

Kyrgyzstan’s ex-PM to run?

SEPT. 23 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Temir Sariyev, Kyrgyzstan’s ex-PM, hinted at his possible participation in next year’s presidential election. Mr Sariyev, 53, who resigned in April to face corruption allegations, continues to be a powerful figure in Kyrgyzstan. In an interview with RFE/RL, Mr Sariyev said that he had major plans for the future.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 298, published on Sept. 30 2016)

Azerbaijanis vote to extend presidential terms in referendum

BAKU, SEPT. 26 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Azerbaijanis voted in a referendum to make 29 amendments to the country’s constitution which opposition leaders have said are designed to strengthen President Ilham Aliyev’s grip on power.

The Azerbaijani Central Election Commission (CEC) said that around 90% of the votes were in favour of the amendments, the most controversial being an extension to the presidential term from five to seven years. Other changes included scrapping the age limit for parliamentarians and presidential candidates and the establishment of the role of vice-president.

The turnout, recorded as 69.7%, was much higher than the 25% needed to validate the results although some election observers complained of irregularities such as ballot stuffing which the CEC said it would investigate.

Brushing aside allegations of an unfair voting system and whether the reforms were actually needed, members of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party said the result proved the high regard that ordinary people have for President Aliyev.

“This was a test of people’s trust in the country’s President, and it was held successfully,” said Ali Ahmadov, deputy prime minister and deputy chairman of Yeni Azerbaijan.

This is the second time that Azerbaijan has held a referendum to change its constitution under President Aliyev, who came to power in 2003.

In a 2009 referendum, Azerbaijan controversially voted to end a limit on the number of terms that a president can stay in office.

These tweaks to constitutions drawn up in the immediate aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 have been fairly standard across Central Asia and the South Caucasus. They allow the incumbent president to remain in power for as long as he wants, reduce the number of irksome elections that need to be handled and also widen options for a handover of power to a son or daughter or favoured associate.

The Venice Commission, the European Commission’s watchdog for constitutional issues, criticised Azerbaijan’s referendum saying the the amendments would “severely upset the balance of power by giving ‘unprecedented’ powers to the President.”

And many Azerbaijanis held a similar view.

A 22-year old Fidan, a student in Baku said that she had voted against the constitutional changes. “These changes will turn the country into a monarchy,” she said.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 298, published on Sept. 30 2016)

Political fighting takes place in Georgian TV debate

SEPT. 27 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Zaza Agladze of the Union of Industrialists and Irakli Glonti of State For The People, two candidates for the upcoming parliamentary election in Georgia, exchanged punches on live television after a heated debate. Just last week, two other candidates also fought during a televised debate.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 298, published on Sept. 30 2016)

Georgian Dream fights first election as party of government

TBILISI, SEPT. 21 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — A party of protest four years ago, the Georgian Dream coalition is now the party of power bringing with it all the challenges of a track record in government.

Georgia’s parliamentary election in October is proving to be a very different experience for Georgian Dream, its billionaire backer Bidzina Ivanishvili and his supporters who ousted the government of former President Mikheil Saakashvili in 2012. Back then they just had to pull in the sizable anti-Saakashvili vote.

Now they have to defend their own record.

Cotne, 37, was drinking in a bar in the old town of Tbilisi. He summed up the prevailing mood of ordinary Georgians. It’s been a glum couple of years, with the value of the lari sliding and economic conditions worsening.

“Although I did not like the Georgian Dream party at the beginning, I voted for the them as we needed a change,” he said of how he voted in 2012. “Right now there is nobody out there that I respect and would vote for.”

The election on Oct. 8 is mainly between the Georgian Dream and the remnants of Mr Saakashvili’s United National Movement party (UNM). They are bitter enemies, an attitude reflected in a raucous campaign with its emphasis on personalities rather than policies. At its core, the Georgian Dream is more pro-Russia than the UNM.

And the difficulties of defending a governmental record in a campaign dominated by personalities is playing against the Georgian Dream, the Tbilisi-based think tank, the Georgian Institute of Politics said earlier this month.

“A weak socio-economic programme without results, a devalued currency following the Russian rouble crash, pessimism about employment and the perception of rising crime after the amnesty for prisoners in 2013,”it said in a note.

“This drowns out the improvements in health care, justice and media freedom which causes the majority of the population to conclude the country is heading in the wrong direction and turning its back on the government.”

The Georgian Dream, at least officially, has also changed its front- man. Mr Ivanishvili served as PM for a year after winning the 2012 election. Now, though, he prefers to play the role of kingmaker.

Instead, PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili, heads the party list. He has only been PM since the start of the year and has a far lower profile than Mr Ivanishvili, who the electorate believe is still driving the Georgian Dream agenda.

Still, Georgian Dream officials exude confidence.

Levan Koberidze, a Georgian

Dream parliamentary candidate, praised the government. “We were able to bring real freedom in the country. During our rule, we maintained stability and kept the country safe, avoiding armed conflicts,” he said.

“Our policy and governance bears the best interests of Georgia and everything we have done during past four years gives us an advantage over our competitors.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 298, published on Sept. 30 2016)