NEWS: Georgia News Digest 05-23-08

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 results
1. Ruling party in big lead – CEC
2. Parallel count of vote coincides with exit-polls, CEC data
3. Ruling party close to secure 71 majoritarian seats out of 75
4. Saakashvili’s address after elections
5. Ruling party names two reasons of landslide victory
Observer reports
6. report: International Election Observation Mission
7. First international reaction on Georgia’s polls
8. Observers give cautious thumbs-up to Georgia’s vote
9. CIS observers call Georgian election 'democratic'
10. Local election watchdogs give figures on intimidation of observers
11. Report on parliamentary election in Georgia
12. Lithuanian observers find Georgian parliamentary elections free, fair
13. Estonian FM sees continued reforms in Georgia as important
14. No serious violations in Georgia elections - Ukraine observers
15. EU presidency says Georgian elections 'encouraging'
16. US cautiously praises Georgian parliamentary elections
Election news and commentary
17. Georgian president hails poll victory
18. President declares election victory
19. Terrorists mar Georgian elections
20. Ruling party cements power
21. President's party headed for election win
22. Parliamentary elections fail to end Georgia’s political crisis
23. Misha's test
24. Georgia leader wins vote, monitors raise concerns
25. Georgians in Azerbaijan voted for ruling party
26. Saakashvili's party pulls way ahead in Georgian vote
27. Saakashvili even stronger after Georgia vote
28. Two candidates from ruling party concede defeat in majoritarian contest
29. Georgia facing increasing democratic standards
30. Intimidation mars Georgia President's election victory
31. Ruling party to offer government posts to opposition
32. Democratic test for Georgia's leader
33. Republicans concede defeat
34. ‘Opposition consults on ways out of crisis’ – Republicans
35. Opposition bloc to hold action of protest May 26
36. Opposition calls for rally on Independence Day
37. Christian-Democratic Party leader shows skepticism to parliament boycott
38. Republicans astonished with results in Batumi
39. Residents from conflict zone unable to vote
40. Incident in Zugdidi
41. Official says Labor Party candidate not arrested
42. Journalists were assaulted on the elections day in the village of Sakasheti, Gori Region
43. Journalist Nana Fazhava, observer of the Center for Human Rights was physically abused
44. 14 polling stations annulled
Abkhazia and Georgia-Russia relations
45. Abkhaz police blame Georgian special services for attack on a bus
46. Peacekeeper commander says Georgia staged latest Abkhazia incident
47. Military official visit site of incident
48. Border attack spurs fresh tension between Georgia, Abkhazia
49. Saakashvili visits wounded civilians
50. Bagapsh hopes Georgia does not plan to attack, but says facts suggest the opposite
51. President of Abkhazia does not want Russia dragged into the Abkhazian talks with Georgia
52. Georgia, West trying to squeeze Russia out of peace settlement - Abkhaz leader
53. Situation in Abkhazia
54. Abkhazia expects more than million tourists this summer
55. Non-peaceful initiatives. Moscow gives military free hand in Abkhazia
56. Russia to rotate peacekeepers in Georgia on May 25-30
57. Russian Foreign Minister on policy in Abkhazia
58. Georgia demands withdrawal of Russian troops from Abkhazia
59. Russia denies assisting Abkhazia with air defence, shooting down UAVs
60. Georgia's membership of NATO would bring security to Abkhazia - U.S. diplomat
61. Hypothetical history and double memory [excerpt]
62. A Georgian charm offensive in Moscow
63. Russian pundit downbeat on prospects for good relations with Georgia
64. Murder of opposition politician in Georgia; USA increases rhetoric against Moscow
65. Poland, Baltics urge Russia to respect Georgia's integrity
66. Speed bumps on Russia’s WTO road
Misc.
67. Court review of state representative v. journalist rescheduled for May 30
68. Hackers broke into Asavak-Dasavali newspaper website
69. Testimony on the United States and the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy [excerpt]
70. Foreign Minister starts European trip
71. Return of Turks Meskhetians in Armenian-inhabited regions pregnant with negative consequences for Georgia
72. 'One more year'

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