Why PM Loathes Second Round

As time goes by, results of presidential elections become more and more unpredictable. One year-old government doubts National Movement’s success, while victory of the Georgian Dream’s candidate in the elections is also questioned.

I have said this many times, and I am saying it again... Georgia is a classic example of a country whose most valuable production is a leader as such. It is the most popular commodity we have ever created industrially. We produce leaders. That’s what we do! We are the most prolific nursery of leaders in the entire human world. All of us are leaders – the entire nation!

Brother of Deceased former PM: “We will certainly agree to exhumation”

According to Prosecutor’s Office, a new version of ex-Premier Zurab Zhvania’s death was outlined – he wasn’t a victim of an accident. We became aware of the full version of the FBI conclusion. It says the gas heater was operational. We spoke about it with Khatuna Khoperia, a team member of the former PM, and Goga Zhvania, Zurab Zhvania’s brother.

Interview with Presidential candidate Nino Burjanadze

“Compared to the times of National Movement, election environment is much healthier,” this is how a Presidential candidate Nino Burjanadze began her interview.

Interview with presidential candidate Giorgi Targamadze

Vazha-Pshavela said: “The future belongs to him who expediently serves the present.” People are expecting the new reality, expedient and effective. Presidential candidate Giorgi Targamadze tells us whether the offer of Christian-Democrats will be efficient.

“Who will run for the second or the third?” is the question that makes the current presidential election different from previous ones. A public and political spectrum more or less agrees that the Georgian Dream candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili might be the first due to the factor of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. This might happen of course if Margelashvili does not reject his participation in the runoff. Statements made by the PM and Margvelashvili have already “strained and alerted the public.” However, Margvelashvili tried to calm people by declaring that his claims regarding removal of his candidacy unless he did not win in the first round was “more an attack than a step backward”, aiming at stirring-up coalition’s resources.

“Muted” 2008 War Movie of Dutch Military Journalist

A Dutch military journalist made a documentary about his cameraman who got killed in the explosion that rocked the Gori centre on 12 August 2008. The film “Investigation in Gori – Death of Stan Storimans” by Jeroen Akkermans does not stop by this tragic event and goes to review the war-torn Georgia and developments unfolding around it at that time. As for the media casualties, the August war claimed lives of another two media representatives: journalist Giga Chikhladze and photographer Aleksandre Klimchuk of TV Company Alania were killed in the outskirts of Tskhinvali.

Although the economic programs of candidates running for presidency in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled by the end of this October are as shallow and slogan-like as it has become traditional in the short history of Georgian elections, still this presidential elections has something unprecedented: for the first time in many years, the ruling party is not extorting money from business to fund its election campaign.

To protect rights of Georgian consumers and ensure fair market competition, the non-governmental sector demands greater transparency on food market and asks National Food Agency (NFA) of Georgia, a governmental structure, dealing with food and veterinary safety issues, to publish the full list of violations of food safety along with the names of malfunctioning companies.

The Georgian private sector calls the state for fair redistribution of state support on education market between the higher and vocational education as well as the state-run and privately owned colleges in order to remedy the labor market skills and ultimately boost employment.

Recently founded Co-Investment Fund with USD 6 billion of initial capital helped Georgian Government to find a solution to the stagnated new runway construction project at Tbilisi International Airport managed by Turkish TAV Georgia, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said during his meeting with media on 18 October 2013. He did not specify details of the solution but underlined that although the Fund may not participate in the runway project, it did a good job to show TAV that there was a real alternative and thus had an indirect positive impact.

Introduction of the united treasury code for registering tax incomes as well as return of untaxed subsistence minimum of the income tax are on the top of agenda at the moment and Ministry of Finances calls banks to support the administration to bring the said initiatives into reality.

Georgian fuel market, believed to be monopolized, is expecting changes after a new liberalized contract on railway cargo transit has been concluded between Georgia and Azerbaijan recently. Some sector pundits think the contract is not sufficient to liberate Georgian fuel market from the monopolies, unless proper competition law is adopted and entrepreneurs get equal access to financial resources.

On 19-20 October, Ethnographic Museum hosted the Cheese Festival under the aegis of “Georgian Cheese Millennium and Its European Future”. Among the organizers were Ministry of Agriculture and Guild of Cheese Makers, while Ministry of Culture and Monuments’ Protection, Georgian National Museum, National Wine Agency, Georgian Cheese House and others took up the role of official supporters.

Telavi International Music Festival Ends

On 20 October, Telavi International Music Festival came to its logical end. Everything good ends sooner or later and leaves us with a sense of regret. What shall we do? We have nothing left but waiting for the future concerts to come with traditionally experienced masters and some new names of the musical world.

he torch of Sochi Olympic Games had to stay in the hands of Russian “hero” Ivan Nechayev only for five minutes or so but it was enough to provoke a large wave of protests among Georgians. No wonder, if we consider that the Russian pilot Nechayev was bombing the Georgian territory during the August war of 2008.

Georgian Soldier’s Story

Georgia has lost a total of 25 soldiers since its involvement in the Afghan Peace keeping Mission. The general public has virtually no specifics about lives of Georgian troops stationed in the Helmand Province. Therefore, we post here the story by a Georgian officer who served in Afghanistan from Autumn 2011 till Summer 2012.

Shanghai is constructed on the banks of the Huangpu River, estuary of the Yangtze, the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world, which flows for 6 400 kilometers. According to the latest data, it is the home of 23 million people. However, this is not the main topic of this article. We’ll talk more about the lifestyle of the Chinese people.

To leave aside the current candidates and what people think of them, here are some thoughts on the ideal next president. The system is new. In the past, under the constitution passed illegally and in three days on 6 February 2004, the president was the supreme executive power in Georgia and had significant power even over the parliament and judiciary. Informally, the president had power over what and whoever he wanted. And power was wielded informally among deputies who would be rotated around positions, but their power had largely to do with their inner circle relationship with the president.