The financier Bidzina Ivanishvili is satisfied so far with the impact he has had, after announcing he would challenge the ruling party in the next election by founding a new party and buying a TV station. According to his press secratary, Irakli Tripolsky, Ivanishvili’s first statement “caused deep resonance in the society”. Next step will … Read more
The billionaire businessman who said he would run in the next election has received a cold shoulder from two independent TV stations he said he wants to buy. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s extensive written statement about his political goals, which was published on Friday October 7, focuses particular attention on Georgian television. While criticizing President Saakashvili’s regime, … Read more
President Nicolas Sarkozy finally arrived in Tbilisi Friday from Baku. It was the final stop on his tour of the South Caucasus. Security was tight around Freedom Square. People who wanted to attend the event had to arrive two hours earlier. The square had been decorated with French, Georgian and EU flags for the occasion. … Read more
French president Nicolas Sarkozy told Georgians Friday that the country must strengthen democracy through further reforms if it wants to move closer to EU membership. A few thousand people were in or around Freedom Square in the center of Tbilisi while Sarkozy held his speech this afternoon but many seemed uninterested and left before he … Read more
There is rising confusion after President Saakashvili said that the first parliamentary session in Kutaisi will be on the next national day, May 26, 2012. He said this two days ago at the opening of a new House of Justice in the city. But according to the Georgian constitution, parliament can only convene in Kutaisi … Read more
Parliament is to consider a new law about product safety which might require scrapping an old law, and a big chunk of the country’s consumer rights with it. The new bill is called “Code on Product Safety and Free Flow” which envisages to set up a special commission to monitor product safety in the market. … Read more
Prosecutors in Georgia will get powers to monitor suspicious money transfers before they are carried out. But this will require a court warrant. Parliament’s decision means that after getting a court’s approval, the prosecutor’s office can ask that a bank account be subject to a strict control regime: every time there is a transfer to … Read more
The Georgian government is to start handing out funds to select players in the whole non-public sector, after a decision in parliament. Power to hand out money will reside with ministries. The effort is not limited to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), but may also include educational institutions and branch offices of foreign think tanks as well … Read more
Three journalists and four media companies filed an administrative lawsuit at Tbilisi city court Tuesday morning against Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, asking to be compensated for the injuries they sustained in the night of May 26, when police violently dispersed a protest rally ahead of an Independence Day parade. The journalists presented the court … Read more
Work to improve the Georgian election environment has ended as a draft has been sent off to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission for review and the government promises that parliament will not start its review until the results of the review are clear. It’s hard to say what the Venice Commission’s conclusions will be … Read more