A Precedent for Real Elections
Georgia's Mikheil Saakashvili appears to have won his big gamble today. An exit poll shows him winning re-election as president and averting a runoff with 53% of the vote, according to Bloomberg's Seb Alison.Saakashvili stepped down as president when opposition protesters poured into the streets, demanding his resignation. He had been roundly criticized by the West for sending forces into the street to thump heads.
But if the results are confirmed in the actual count, it will validate a strategy that we've seen in no other country in the twelve members of the Commonwealth of Independent States save Ukraine.
That is -- a president who has stepped down and put himself to the voters in a more or less contested election.
I won't hold my breath waiting for others to follow, but Saakashvili has made a gratifying precedent.
Photo: AudreyH
Rights: Creative Commons
Labels: Caspian, caucasus, georgia, oil book, Putin, russia book, saakashvili, tbilisi
2 Comments:
An updated version of the joke that was popular in Russia last August:
Elections in Ukraine and now Georgia: the outcome is uncertain for days after the elections.
Elections in Russia: the outcome is certain days before the elections.
Steve:
I think you may find this Google Group called Untimely Thoughts very interesting. It's "run" by Peter Lavelle. There is currently a thread about the Georgian elections where a couple members with very extensive knowledge and contacts suggest that the election results may not be so cut and dry as the first results suggest.
Here's the link:
http://groups.google.com/group/Untimely_Thoughts_An_Expert_Discussion_Group_on_Russia
The group is "private" but if you drop Peter an email I am sure he would be glad to include you. The member list is quite impressive and a number of your peers are very active.
Peter's Untimely Thoughts email address is Untimely_Thoughts_An_Expert_Discussion_Group_on_Russia@googlegroups.com
I would be very interested to read your thoughts on some of the comments posted today on the Georgian elections.
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