NEWS: Georgia News Digest 05-22-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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Archives and associated files at groups.google.com/group/genewsfiles (from February 2008) and groups.google.com/group/genews (before February 2008)

Election day and results
1. Full election coverage and information
2. Your guide to the Georgian parliamentary elections
3. The race: A local look
4. Initial assessments: International election monitors hail improvements in Georgia's electoral process
5. Local observers comment on polls
6. CEC spokesperson makes an explanation related to the ballot papers
7. 13 polling stations annulled
8. Voter turnout was 55% - CEC
9. Election watchdog issues early PVT results
10. Saakashvili claims victory in election
11. Exit polls: Government wins big
12. Exit poll gives big lead to ruling party
13. Exit poll gives Saakashvili's ruling party lead in parliamentary vote
14. Voting mostly calm, with notable exceptions
15. Georgia polls show ruling party ahead
16. Ruling party says elections underway in normal conditions
17. 'Do not sow panic' - minister tells opposition
18. Georgian president urges calm at parliamentary election
19. Ruling party to sweep Georgia vote, opposition cries foul
20. A free and fair vote? Georgia's political parties see things differently
21. video: Georgia braces for election result
22. Georgia votes in tense parliamentary polls
23. Ruling party: Opposition tries to create impression of 'tense polls'
24. video: Democracy under scrutiny as Georgia votes
25. video: Georgians vote in parliamentary election
26. Christian Democratic Party alleges violations
27. Davit Gamkrelidze accuses Rustavi 2 TV of violating the electoral code
28. Opposition wants CEC to annul polls at 12 precincts
29. Opposition, ruling party exchange accusations
30. 'These are criminal elections' - opposition
31. 'Authorities' violence amounts to our victory in polls' - opposition bloc
32. 'Electoral struggle continues' - Republicans
33. Opposition leader dismisses exit poll results
34. Opposition coalition declares victory in election, decries exit poll
35. Riot police mobilized outside Georgian electoral body ahead of opposition rally
36. Ruling party suspects opposition preparing "destabilization" after poll
37. Opposition attempting to thwart vote - Georgian ruling party member
38. Opposition rally disperses
39. Koba Davitashvili beaten in Zugdidi Region
40. Ruling party maintains that United Opposition leader Koba Davitashvili was beaten by women
41. Eliso Chapidze, leading journalist of Rezonansi newspaper was physically abused, her camera destroyed
42. Mze TV camera crew and Rustavi 2 cameraman were severely beaten in Rukhi
43. Journalist beaten by special forces troops at polling station
44. Opposition says murder of its supporter is political
45. Officials deny political link to election day killing
Pre-election day
47. Georgia poll to shape relations with Moscow
48. Pre-election televised address by Nino Burjanadze
49. What'll happen on 21st: Fraud, democracy, lies and peace
50. How many historical days Saakashvili counts?
51. Burjanadze wishes new parliament to be stronger than outgoing
52. Saakashvili: Calm elections crucial
53. Response of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Free and Fair Elections to OSCE/ODIHR EOM interim report no. 2
54. Georgia seeks honest parliamentary election
55. video: Is the Rose Revolution losing its bloom?
56. interview: Dmitry Evfstafyev
57. After a flawed campaign, will elections fall short?
58. Elections about more than choosing new parliament
59. A country in need of a consensus
60. An opposition divided worries it may not stand strong
61. Democracy still a work in progress in Stalin's home town
62. Effectiveness of campaign methods
63. A failed experiment? - Levan Gachechiladze: Washington's hopes dashed
64. Government support still rock-solid in Georgian heartland
65. Parliamentary election in Georgia set to clear power dispute
66. OSCE to publish Georgian election monitoring results on 22 May
67. Police terror or police resistance?
68. Detained election commission members may apply to Strasbourg
69. Elections, no result, only low expectations
70. District governors run election HQs in Kakheti Region
71. Pre-election fever in Adigeni District
72. Former high-ranking officials take part in the polls as single mandate candidate
73. Political squabble at Telavi University: Police don't investigate hooliganism of National Movement Members
74. Diary of pre-election terror
75. Masked men beat head of youth hq of the opposition party
76. National Movement uses cows for pre-election campaign in Gori District
77. In Batumi National Movement's observers are regarded with more favor
78. Provision of pensions and elections take place simultaneously in Zugdidi
79. Almost total absence of ethnic minorities in 2008 Georgian parliament
[List at humanrights.ge/index.php?a=news&id=4744&lang=en ]
80. Corrupted public officials in Gori districts released from prison before elections
Abkhazia
81. RF peacekeepers in Abkhazia report automatic fire in Georgia
82. video: Shooting reported on Georgian-Abkhazian border
83. Conflicting reports coming from Georgia-Abkhazia conflict zone
84. Georgia demands probe into why peacekeepers did not prevent incident in Gali
85. Commander says incident in Abkhazia staged by Georgian secret services
86. RF peacekeepers in Abkhazia report automatic fire in Georgia
87. Election day violence on Abkhaz border, separatist leader denies
88. Four Georgians wounded in Abkhaz border incident, one seriously
89. Georgians wounded in Abkhazia shootings
90. Georgia demands withdrawal of 'illegal' Russian troops from Abkhazia
Georgia-Russia relations
91. audio: As Georgia votes, Saakashvili explains Tbilisi's stance on Abkhazia, Russia
Shaun Walker talks about riding in President Saakashvili's motorcade and then speaking with him in his office csmonitor.com/2008/0522/p04s01-woeu.html
92. Georgia wants region dispute part of EU talks
93. Diplomacy is tried to reduce tensions over Abkhazia
94. Georgia denies intention to use force in Abkhazia, South Ossetia
95. Latvian FM sees Georgian Russian crisis easing
96. What it means for Georgia to be on eve of war
97. Russia did not supply anti-aircraft systems to Abkhazia
98. Armenian delegation to UN votes against Georgia's draft resolution on status of IDPs and refugees from Abkhazia
99. Russia plays Georgia's ruling party's war games: Why problems in conflict zones become active before elections?
100. Russia says mulling meeting with Georgian leader
101. Russian, French foreign ministers discuss Georgian rebel regions
102. Russian-Georgian relations can become much better
103. Georgian war footing takes concrete form - literally
104. Saakashivli's informational war
105. Memorial "Ainaalara": One step towards reconciliation
106. Moscow encourages north-south Ossetian irredentism against Georgia
Misc.
107. Disagreement in public school in village of Sakasheti
108. Access to information! Journalists endlessly wait for information
109. Single mother- a woman without a patron
110. Gori public schools lack playgrounds and fenced grounds
111. Librarians request to rescue books
112. Chairperson of Gori Municipality Board insulted journalist
113. Directors of the Gori public schools were punished because of academic competitions
114. Trade union factory protest in Khelvachauri, Adjara gets journalist beaten
115. ARFD backs Javakheti Armenians' struggle for autonomy within Georgia
116. Prime Minister lauds Ras Al Khaimah's investment climate

Jonathan Kulick, Ph.D., Director of Studies, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, 3a Chitadze, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia (Republic), jonathan.kulick@gfsis.org, office: +995 32 47 35 55, mobile: +995 95 33 33 40, USA voicemail: 310.928.6814