The dream after these four years

It is September now. School classes have begun. Most of the streets in downtown Tbilisi are unusually busy – new paving being laid, new sewerage and water supply installed.

Industrial climbers are often to be seen around the city, installing huge billboards and ads.

“Freedom, fast development, well-being

“With new energy for the progress of Georgia

“To freedom!

It has never been easy to move around Tbilisi because of the traffic jams, but now, with the universal repair work,  the city is close to a stall. As if the authorities only in September have discovered, that repair is necessary, turning Tbilisi into a dusty place smelling of paint.

Georgia is enduring the election fever. On September 8 the new parliament is to be elected. The winner will form the cabinet and nominate the prime-minister, the first person in the country. That is why the fight is deadly.

The previous parliamentary elections four years ago established a precedent – for the first time in the history of Georgia change of power has occurred through elections. Georgian Dream led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili has put  an end to nine years of Mikhail Saakashvili National Movement rule.

On October 1, 2012, having heard the preliminary results, Tbilisi started to celebrate. Cars bearing “41 – the Ivanishvili led coalition number in the ballots – were cruising the downtown. It was the country capital, where the then opposition Georgian Dream has won most convincingly.

October 1, 2012

Unprecedented hundreds of thousands had taken part in the very first election rally on the Freedom Square, making it clear, that the capital was intent to support Georgian Dream.

“All in our neighborhood attended that rally carrying flags and slogans. We have been viewing Bidzina Ivanishvili as the savior, who was to put an end to the cruel National Movement rule. Many under them got arrested for nothing, like a friend of mine. People were afraid to go outside, Oto X., 30, recalls.

Oto X. is the Polytechnical Institute graduate in communications, though he has never worked by profession. During four years of Georgian Dream rule he has failed to find a job as well.

“I used to support Georgian Dream desperately. In 2012 my friends and I even attended rallies in Batumi and Kutaisi… I say nothing now, when being asked – is this the “Dream of yours? It turns out, I was struggling for better life for Khaduri and Narmaniya, so they could have bonuses, Oto complaints.

The Tbilisi residents did expect serious changes to occur under the billionaire and his team. First of all they hoped for new jobs, as well as lower utility payments and non-interest loans, promised by Georgian Dream.

Four years have passed after the historic parliamentary elections. What has changed? Here are the Tbilisi residents answers to the question.

Eleven parties were found eligible by the Central Election Commission to participate in the elections. The voters will have quite a range of politicians to choose from at the polling stations, from pro-European to pro-Russian. Adherents of traditional values – faith and force, and those of marijuana legalization are also to be found.

Despite such a variety of choices the polls demonstrate the voters apathy and confusion.

According to the latest poll, conducted by the American National Democratic Institute in July, 57 percent were still undecided at the time, with 52 percent among Tbilisi residents. Which is more, than the ratings of all running parties taken together.

Things have changed as compared to 2012, when the country was divided into the Georgian Dream and National Movement supporters. Both sides cause no interest among the voters anymore.

Giya Khuhashvli, political expert, believes the undecided voters pose a problem for the authorities.

“The presence of undecided voters mean, that the people do not sympathize with the authorities. Georgian Dream should consider that. This is the basic problem of this campaign, he claims.

He believes the so called “third force has a better chance to win these voters over, than two major players – the National Movement and Georgian Dream.

“Voters do not trust the present political elite. What in fact they say, is that the authorities are no good, and opposition is even worse. They are searching for new choices, new leaders, not burdened with the past, the expert told Netgazeti.

Not only “poor political elite is to blame for a large number of undecided voters shortly before the elections, political expert Giya Nodiya says. It is also the Georgian electorate, that failed to grow up and reach a certain level of political culture.

“Political elite does not appear out of nowhere, it is a relatively active part of the population, and nothing more. The undecided voters simply do not know what they want. They are expecting a new messiah to come, because the previous ones (Saakashvili, Ivanishvili) have failed them. How much time these 57 percent need to understand, there will be no new messiah? They will have to choose among the existing parties.

Two weeks before the elections Tbilisi residents have little time to decide, whom they trust to run the country.

Out of the 2012 experience many expect Ivanishvili “to help with the decision through leaking compromising stuff, like “prison video. The secretly made video of prisoners being humiliated, have been leaked 12 days prior to the elections, and is considered by many to have turned the outcome.

Humiliations in prisons is still the issue. This time, though, it is not a video, but a movie. The loyalist Imedi TV channel is running “Kherocratia series directed by Gogi Khaindrava, containing scenes of violence, and meant to remind of the Saakashvili times.

The idea belongs to Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has also financed the production. Timing too can hardly be considered accidental.

The goal is obvious – to remind the society of the tortures and mass human rights abuse during the Saakashvili rule.

We asked Oto, whether he is watching “Kherocratia.

“I could not stand more than two series. It is too hard to watch for me. The memories are still fresh. I have only one question to ask Mr. Ivanishvili. Has anyone been punished for the prisoners humiliation shown in the film? It compromises now not solely the National Movement. 

Published: 19.09.2016