Georgian polls an electoral test
Source: Agencies |
May 31, 2010, Monday
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GEORGIAN President Mikheil Saakashvili was expected to pass his first electoral test since a 2008 war with Russia yesterday, aided by a fragmented opposition that has struggled to capitalize on public anger over his rule.
Yesterday's municipal vote, including the first election for mayor of the capital Tbilisi, is also being seen as an early test for potential successors to Saakashvili, who is due to step down in 2013 after a decade in power.
His democratic credentials are also under the spotlight after Western monitors found serious shortcomings in the 2008 presidential vote, but there have been no complaints of serious violations.
Ties with former Soviet master Russia remain fraught, with some opposition leaders calling for closer ties in the hope of ending a Russian embargo on Georgian wine and mineral water, and restoring direct flights between the countries.
An opinion poll showed that jobs and poverty top the list of voter concerns. The Georgian economy shrank 3.9 percent last year, but forecasts up to 5.0 percent growth in 2010.
"I've voted for stability and social prosperity... Ordinary people don't care about political games, we care about better social conditions," said 53-year-old housewife Nino Kvartskhava.
Three election blocs and 14 political parties were battling for the support of 3.5 million eligible voters for seats in 64 municipal councils, including one in the capital.
Western support for Saakashvili, 42, has waned because of his record on democracy and the war, when an assault by Georgia's American-trained military in the rebel region of South Ossetia triggered a crushing Russian counterstrike.
Yesterday's municipal vote, including the first election for mayor of the capital Tbilisi, is also being seen as an early test for potential successors to Saakashvili, who is due to step down in 2013 after a decade in power.
His democratic credentials are also under the spotlight after Western monitors found serious shortcomings in the 2008 presidential vote, but there have been no complaints of serious violations.
Ties with former Soviet master Russia remain fraught, with some opposition leaders calling for closer ties in the hope of ending a Russian embargo on Georgian wine and mineral water, and restoring direct flights between the countries.
An opinion poll showed that jobs and poverty top the list of voter concerns. The Georgian economy shrank 3.9 percent last year, but forecasts up to 5.0 percent growth in 2010.
"I've voted for stability and social prosperity... Ordinary people don't care about political games, we care about better social conditions," said 53-year-old housewife Nino Kvartskhava.
Three election blocs and 14 political parties were battling for the support of 3.5 million eligible voters for seats in 64 municipal councils, including one in the capital.
Western support for Saakashvili, 42, has waned because of his record on democracy and the war, when an assault by Georgia's American-trained military in the rebel region of South Ossetia triggered a crushing Russian counterstrike.
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