NEWS: Georgia News Digest 01-06-08

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

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ELECTION RESULTS
1. CEC: We have 100 precincts in
2. Exit poll: Georgia president to win vote
3. According to alternative exit poll no presidential candidate gathered 50% of votes
4. Saakashvili wins 53.8% in Georgia, exit poll shows
5. Incumbent claims victory in snap election
6. Georgia faces second round of election – exit polls
7. video: Exit polls suggest Saakashvili to remain in office
8. video: Saakashvili winning the election?
9. Opposition claims intimidation of its PEC members
10. Opposition snubs exit polls showing Saakashvili in lead
11. Ukrainian think-tank: None of presidential contenders in Georgia obtained more than 50% of votes
12. Another look at the exit poll

POLLING ACTIVITY
13. Domestic watchdogs: Georgia vote "peaceful," but not scandal-free
14. Election atmosphere generally calm, but opposition claims irregularities
15. Opposition calls for rally
16. Patarkatsishvili not to participate in elections as token of protest
17. Patarkatsishvili did not vote
18. "Labourists" speak about planned murder of Shalva Natelashvili
19. Davit Bakradze calls to take measures for security of Shalva Natelashvili
20. Government ready to appoint state security to Natelashvili
21. Maisashvili ‘concedes victory’ to Gachechiladze
22. Maisashvili slams foreign observers
23. Maisashvili requests justice from authorities in return of peace
24. Gamkrelidze confident of winning Georgian elections in second round
25. Saakashvili’s headquarters prepares for celebrating concert
26. Davit Bakradze: Calm election is a reason for celebration
27. Saakashvili: January 5 a huge victory of Georgia
28. Saakashvili vows to unite Georgia if elected president
29. Burjanadze believes Saahashvili will win in first round
30. PM voted for Mikheil Saakashvili
31. German court prolongs detention term for Irakli Okruashvili
32. Some 149 of 2152 prisoners sentenced to pre-trial detention voted at presidential elections
33. Elections canceled in one polling station
34. Chairwoman of 57th constituency in Saburtalo District died of heart attack
35. Azeris in Kvemo-Kartli region support Saakashvili re-election bid
36. The "other" South Ossetia goes to the polls
37. Separatist official insists on illegality of Georgian election in South Ossetia
38. Abkhaz authorities deny repression of ethnic Georgians ahead of poll
39. Separatists said to close border with Georgia on polling day
BACKGROUND and COMMENTARY
40. Georgia's way back: It starts, but does not end, with elections today
41. Georgia votes for president in shadow of unrest
42. Legit pre-election poll in Georgia shows Saakashvili up
43. Riot fears cloud Georgian election: Vote called after violent clashes last fall
44. Georgians vote in early presidential elections
45. Georgian voters hope life would not change after election
46. A test of democracy
47. audio: Georgian election tests country's young democracy
48. Is life any better in Georgia, 'beacon of democracy'? Today's vote will test four years of reforms under Saakashvili that haven't reached ordinary folk
49. Foreign observers: A guarantee for a free and fair vote?
50. Where to draw the line between candidate and incumbent?
51. Opposition is ‘crippled by ineptitude’ in race to be president: Independence brings new challenges to campaigning
52. Georgia's darling of the West faces rough ride in re-election bid
53. Burjanadze says election "crucial point" for Georgia
54. video: Roses and thorns
55. video: Presidential election kicks off in Georgia
56. video commentary: Aleksey Kuzmin
57. video commentary: Hans Gutbrod
58. video commentary: Georgy Chkheidze
59. video commentary: Aslan Abashidze
60. video commentary: Levan Tarkhnishvili

IRREGULARITIES
61. Opposition reports ballot stuffing, multiple voting, observer beaten
62. Ruling party denies reports of vote-rigging
63. Elections are totally fraud
64. "Election carousel" continues
65. Mamuka Katsitadze: So-called carousels are witnessed in Tbilisi and Kutaisi
66. Facts of "carrousel" revealed in Tbilisi
67. Levan Berdzenishvili: We have not caught anybody for carousel yet
68. Saakashvili campaign hq denies ‘merry-go-round’ practice
69. MIA seized usd 120,000 allocated for Patarkatsishvili’s headquarters
70. Giorgi Zhvania: Government intends to arrest Patarkatsishvili’s supporters
71. Patarkatsishvili says Georgian election illegitimate
72. Sarishvili hopes for consolidation of presidential candidates against violations
73. Foreign observers do not observe violations; they are counting flies
74. GYLA elaborated 95 appeals on violations revealed by 15:00 p.m.
75. According to "New Rights" violations observed in Lagodekhi
76. Gachehciladze ready to respond adequately to those violations
77. Justice Minister denies opposition’s accusations of violations
78. Justice Minister comments over violations
79. Opposition reports first election violations
80. Opposition claims intimidation of its PEC members
81. New Right Forces circulate report on election frauds
82. Teo Tlashadze does not exclude that lawfulness of presidential elections be dubious
83. Two opposition activists detained in Gori district
84. Azerbaijanis residing in Georgia forced to vote for Mikhail Saakashvili
85. The government played according to October 28th scenario in Zugdidi
86. Dead people also vote
87. Part of pre-trial detainees could not take part in the elections
88. Chairman of the polling station expelled an observer of the "Fair Elections"
89. Observer arrived at the polling station with red hat to express his support for Mikheil Saakashvili
90. CEC cannot understand the complaints of observers
91. The United Opposition appealed to the court against banning their video-clip
92. Experiment of one street
93. Man detained in Georgia for dropping ten ballot papers into ballot box
94. Tkeshelashvili: All participants of disorder in Dighomi detained
95. Gachechiladze HQ: Power supply off in no17 polling station at Kavtaradze Street
96. Sarishvili says ruling party ads shown in metro on polling day
97. Patarkatsishvili campaign staff says election frauds numerous
NON-ELECTION NEWS
98. Russian peacekeepers deny shooting incident in Abkhazia
99. Murder or suicide
100. Landslide has damaged Sighnaghi; local residents urge for help

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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