Who Will Check on Saakashvili?

St. Petersburg Times ^ | April 2, 2004

[Tailgunner Joe]

He was elected president of Georgia with a Soviet-sized majority, his party just enjoyed a landslide victory in parliamentary elections and he now dominates the legislative process. He recently amended the Constitution to beef up the presidency, and there are few - if any - checks on his executive power.

Human rights organizations and observers are warning of his autocratic tendencies, while the opposition is even accusing him of "revolutionary terror."

There are probably half a dozen CIS presidents who fit the bill, but in this case the man in question is Mikheil Saakashvili, hero of the "Rose Revolution," darling of the West, young reformer and tireless fighter against corruption.

Following Sunday's parliamentary elections in Georgia, pro-presidential forces control a strong majority, while a maximum of two, and possibly no other parties will likely cross the 7 percent threshold for representation in parliament - a threshold that Saakashvili refused to lower to 5 percent.

Even the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's chief election monitor said the new parliament "cannot reflect the wide diversity of views indispensable for meaningful debates on Georgia's future."

Of course, few people seriously question the legitimacy of the overwhelming popular mandate conferred upon Saakashvili and his allies - a clear mandate for radical change to raise people's living standards.

And the magnitude of Saakashvili's task of dealing with the baleful legacy of Eduard Shevardnadze should not be downplayed: A functioning state needs to be built virtually from scratch, requiring that corruption be curbed and feudal lords, such as Adzharia's Aslan Abashidze, be brought to heel.

Many believe that the momentum for change will not be sustainable for more than six months, and clearly there is a fine line between forcing the pace of change and autocratic rule. But there can be no excuse for Saakashvili refusing to institutionalize his executive power.

If Georgia's latest attempt at democracy is to be successful, then personalities must be made subordinate to democratic institutions. And some kind of viable opposition is essential for the health of any democracy.

The West can play an important role by making sure that an authoritarian and personality-driven approach to politics is given short shrift. Although its record on this count is not exactly encouraging.

One only has to think of the carte blanche that was accorded to Boris Yeltsin, with a blind eye being turned to his autocratic ways and the distaste he demonstrated for institutionalizing his own power.

[cripplecreek]

If Im not mistaken the person who hit George Soros accused Soros of Screwing with Georgias election and politics.

[cripplecreek]

If Im not mistaken the person who hit (WITH A PIE) George Soros accused Soros of Screwing with Georgias election and politics.

brain fart.

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