World Press on political turmoil in Georgia (September 26, 2012)

These days media all over the world are discussing a scandal that recently struck Georgia. The post--Soviet Caucasian republic was shocked by newly-released video records showing violence at local police stations. The scandal badly damaged the reputation of the country's president Mikheil Saakashvili, who has always been very popular in the US and Europe. Trying to cope with the turmoil, Saakashvili announced that the recordings were fake and issued by his major opponent, pro-Russian billionaire and presidential candidate Bidzina Ivanishvili.

According to Marc Adomanis, a Forbes' correspondent, Saakashvili is now trying to absolve himself of responsibilty  and that's why he is blaming Ivanishvili for kicking up a row.

The records depicting police violence shook Georgian society only several days before the crucial parliamentary elections, an article published by The Financial Times reads. This is a serious crisis that the Saakashvili administration has to deal with, the author of the article says.

The Georgian president says Ivanishvili is Putin's puppet and tries to save his damaged reputation by blaming his opponents, Der Spiegel writes. The coming elections are very important for the country's future, Der Spiegel's journalist believes.