NEWS: Georgia News Digest 12-30-07

A service of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Attached PDF file easily navigable with Bookmarks pane
Archives and associated files at groups-beta.google.com/group/genews/files

1. Saakashvili sure leader among Georgian presidential candidates
2. Gachechiladze outruns Saakashvili with supporters
3. If elections were held next Sunday, most electors would vote for Levan Gachechiladze
4. Most respondents view increase of salaries and pensions as most effective election pledge
5. Kartuli Akademia protests exit polls
6. Exit poll managers pledge impartiality
7. ODIHR observing Georgian election campaign says opposition's complaints justified
8. Our main duty is monitoring
9. Hastings to lead OSCE election observation mission in the Republic of Georgia
10. Twenty Estonian MPs to monitor Georgian election
11. Estonian reserve officers plan to observe Georgian election
12. Separatist police to stop Abkhazia residents voting in Georgian poll
13. Bagapsh urges Abkhazia residents not to vote in Georgia election
14. Plebiscite results may be binding
15. CEC issues second tv monitoring results
16. Falsifying the elections
17. Equality Institute representatives beaten for free speech
18. Georgian democracy smashed to pieces
19. Ruling party activists said to beat up NGO members
20. Loyalty to democracy or slide to authoritarianism?
21. Violence against political opponents
22. Burjanadze denounces attempts to bribe voters
23. video: Opposition candidate quits Georgian presidential race?
24. Opposition hails Patarkatsishvili decision to drop out
25. Patarkatsishvili to submit statement on withdrawal of his candidature to CEC on January 04
26. CEC has not received Patarkatsishvili’s statement on withdrawal of candidacy
27. Patarkatsishvili nominally remains in race
28. Tycoon exits Georgia’s presidential race
29. The insanity of Badri the tycoon
30. TV airs 'foiled coup chronicles'
31. "Coup attempt" and war with covert recordings
32. Patarkatsishvili addresses private TV journalists after publication of secret recordings
33. Zurab Tkemaladze: Patarkatsishvili may ballot for presidency
34. Prosecutors wish to arrest ex-head of Patarkatsishvili staff
35. Gurgenidze has not ruled out possibility that government will seek Patarkatsishvili's barring from election
36. Patarkatsishvili election HQs to continue working – MP
37. MP sees tycoon's election pullout as "trick"
38. Patarkatsishvili’s decision not to affect apportion of forces
39. Gabashvili evaluates Patarkatsishvili’s decision as another manipulation
40. Authorities attack nine-party coalition over Patarkatsishvili ties
41. Bye-bye Badri: Patarkatsishvili quits election race
42. End of Badri's hope
43. Zhvania: we will protect our choice
44. Who got trapped? Patarkatsishvili is left without political weapon
45. Lomaia: There is no plan to disqualify Patarkatsishvili from poll
46. Badri Patarkatsishvili's matrix
47. Patarkatsishvili campaign hq warns of 'mass arrests'
48. Patarkatsishvili's supporters call for help against government "violence"
49. British police did not help Patarkatsishvili
50. Gurgenidze has not ruled out possibility that government will seek Patarkatsishvili's barring from election
51. Parliament recognizes organizations promoting gender balance
52. Saakashvili – I wish Imedi TV release from misfortune the company inadvertently happened to experience
53. Imedi TV, through its capitulation, undermined platform to opposition
54. Analyst Ramaz Sakvarelidze thinks Imedi TV journalists’ decision to leave the channel is strange
55. Imedi is off the air again
56. Georgia's presidential election to test Saakashvili's commitment to democracy
57. Election a democracy test for Georgian president
58. Tina Khidasheli: “Mikheil Saakashvili again lies”
59. Saakashvili says "poverty, pessimism" his main opponents
60. Saakashvili: Five more years?
61. Bakradze: Provocations against Saakashvili’s supporters take place
62. Saakashvili to replace ‘revolutionary team’
63. Saakashvili opens a yard in Tbilisi's district
64. Presidential election to test Saakashvili's commitment to democracy
65. Toast to a hero
66. Misha is cool!
67. Mikheil Saakashvili - Rose reformer tries fightback
68. Sandra Roelofs handed New Year presents to future mothers
69. Okruashvili says Georgian president seeks his demise
70. Okruashvili as Defense Minister was my biggest mistake, Saakashvili said
71. Saakashvili's supporters attack Labor's presidential candidate
72. Davit Bakradze calls presidential candidates on cooperation
73. Western ally bids to reclaim presidency after Georgian unrest
74. New government under Saakashvili will address poverty
75. Saakashvili pledges to join NATO, unite Georgia if elected
76. Saakashvili to see in New Year in Abkhazia's Kodori Gorge
77. Gachechiladze snaps at reporters over alleged links with tycoon
78. Gachechiladze says three pro-government TV stations fighting against him
79. Gachechiladze calls on Saakashvili not to play role of “kind person”
80. Gachechiladze accuses Saakashvili of insincerity
81. Gachechiladze certain about victory in presidential polls
82. Nine-party opposition coalition rallies
83. Gachechiladze challenges Saakashvili to debate
84. United Opposition to hold rally against falsification of elections
85. video: Georgia's opposition rallies for fair election
86. Opposition rally draws 30,000 ahead of Georgia vote
87. Opposition meeting in Tbilisi ends peacefully
88. Opposition plans large-scale rally on day after election
89. Opposition supporters march in central Tbilisi
90. The candidate Shalva Natelashvili’s presidential program outlines
91. Natelashvili survives alleged attack by ruling party members
92. Natelashvili's bodyguards, Saakashvili supporters brawl
93. Gamkrelidze campaigns in Tianeti
94. First ladies to- be or not-to-be?!
95. Burjanadze confirms reports on expected reshuffle
96. Burjanadze sees no "problem" in peaceful rallies
97. Burjanadze positively evaluates four-year work of parliament
98. Gurgenidze: Professionalism to be main distinguishing feature of renewed government
99. Burjanadze announces December 31 a day off
100. PM visits Mtskheta-Mtianeti
101. Merabishvili tells police force to keep out of politics
102. New member of Constitutional Court approved
103. GYLA appealed against governors of regions
104. “Telasi” to work in emergency regime on December 31 – January 08
105. A Georgian awakening: Gliding towards democracy with education reform
106. 2008 state budget approved
107. Budget is still under question mark
108. Lado Papava: State budget for 2008 is not first proficient budget of Georgia
109. Finance Minister: GDP volume will reach usd 15.6 billion in 2009
110. During 9 months of 2007, deficit of the current account of the balance of payment of Georgia totaled $1 185,8 million
111. Vakhtang Baladze appointed Deputy Chairman of Georgian Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee
112. Current account deficit widens 38% in Jan-Sept
113. GDP up 12.7% in nine months
114. Parliament approves 2008 state budget
115. Georgia's booming foreign investment
116. One Tbilisi, two Tbilisi
117. EBRD allocates loan to Cartu Bank to support SMEs and energy efficiency projects
118. All is not gold that glitters
119. World Bank to allocate $35 million for e-60 highway
120. NIA’s “NetExpo Georgia” web portal to promote e-commerce
121. Recruitment for V Infantry Brigade underway
122. Recruits of National Defense Academy took oath
123. Command post training
124. The Interior Ministry puts forward a prettier face
125. The U.S. and Kosovo, Russia and Georgia: Unintended consequences
126. Dolts in South Caucasus may bring many harms: US Assistant Secretary
127. Russian textbook reportedly calls Georgia a US client state
128. Main priorities of foreign policy of Georgia in 2008 will remain European integration and accession to NATO
129. Abkhazia faces demographic problem
130. Abkhazian government to render financial assistance to families of people, who died in Abkhazian war
131. Abkhaz leader visits Gali
132. Coffee grounds
133. An Abkhaz boy underwent surgery in Kutaisi
134. Baghapsh meets Georgians
135. video: Russia goes bananas for little oranges
136. Bagapsh dissociates his republic from Georgia's election
137. Shamba voices concern over possible "instability" in Georgia
138. Separatists carry on anti-Georgian agitation
139. Bagapsh says Abkhazia will never live in single state with Georgia
140. Separatists say Georgia did not let Armenian film crew into South Ossetia
141. Kokoyty says no Georgian citizens in South Ossetia
142. Kokoyty offers help to ethnic Georgians in Tbilisi-run areas
143. No 'Chechen Spetsnaz' in Abkhazia, South Ossetia

full digest: Georgia News Digest - Ansicht in Groups BetaNeu!

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