By Vestnik Kavkaza
One of the topics being actively discussed in recent days in the Georgian press was the state of affairs in the party system of the republic. In particular, it was suggested that the current ruling 'Georgian Dream' coalition, due to some specific features, cannot contribute to a successful political development of the country and soon it slows down. "Such associations as 'Georgian Dream' cannot complete positive tasks that are aimed at development of the state. Victory at the next election of such a coalition will delay the development of the state. Now 'Georgian Dream' includes parties that do not like each other and do not think alike. They openly talk about it. But its own futility does not allow them to separate from each other. Each subject of the coalition feels that if it is alone it is nothing. Their unifying cement is a feeling of inconsistency. This is another unhealthy component," Resonansi quotes the political scientist and founder of the Research Institute of Development of Georgia, Gia Khukhashvili.
"So I hope that another coalition will be formed at the next elections. It must be created on a platform of shared values - a single view and a program. The details can be disputed, but the broad guidelines and long-term plans should not be different, that would be right and healthy," he said.
Skeptical assessments are voiced not only about the ruling coalition, but also about all parties in the country. "The main problem of Georgia is its political market. There is no political force that would affect the decision needed for the Georgian economy and development of the country. All political forces pursue party interests, so they are finding a balance with each other easily. Therefore, the political force that would remove these parties from making decisions is nowhere to be found. That's the trouble of the country," 'Resonansi' quoted Demura Giorkhelidze as saying.
"I do not perceive Georgian Dream as a political party, as their actions have no political logic. The largest faction of the coalition - "Georgian Dream" - is in the background of parliament. It's obvious. It has no potential to upgrade, it does not manage the political processes. As a result, it loses credibility and gives rise to political instability. Therefore, the subsequent transfer from the weak ruling party may be unstable and linked to serious political processes," he fears.
In this regard, the political scientist believes the fall in the credibility of the country's authorities is a logical result. Only the presence of the irritant in the form of UNM saves them from total loss of public confidence in them. "If it were not for the threat of the 'National Movement' and the disorganization of those people who are dissatisfied with the current landscape in politics, then the credibility of the authorities would be close to zero. But as long as the political spectrum does not change, and the government is good at using the existence of the 'National Movement', the political situation will not change in the near future, no "threats" of change are expected," Giorkhelidze thinks.
Another actively discussed topic is the expected cancellation of the visa regime with the EU on the basis of the Riga summit of the 'Eastern Partnership'. Still, there is no confidence that this can be achieved. "If in the remaining period the authorities will not take serious measures regarding the liberalization of the visa regime, then there cannot be an adequate assessment at the Riga summit," the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia David Zalkaliani said. "I do not know the final assessment of the completion of the second stage. What assessment Georgia will receive, the decision at the Riga summit will be made appropriately to this. I expect that Georgia will complete the second phase, the Riga summit should give Georgia a clear message regarding the fact that the country will receive free trade with the EU," he added. "The Georgian authorities must do everything possible to get political support, as in this situation support is crucial. Much depends on our authorities. Until the Riga summit there is not much time, so the top authorities of the country should take active measures. It would be nice to organize contacts with partners at a high level, bilateral visits to Berlin, Paris, etc. Now our government should be very active, which I unfortunately cannot see. If in the remaining time serious steps will not be taken, there may be some threats regarding the fact that at the Riga summit we will not get the desired results," David Zalkaliani concluded.
The press also did not leave without paying attention to the proposal of the Public Defender of Georgia, Ucha Nanuashvili, to expand the powers of the Constitutional Court. "The Public Defender of Georgia presented an initiative to expand the powers of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. According to Ucha Nanuashvili's initiative, the powers of the Constitutional Court of Georgia and, therefore, the area of constitutional control are expanding. Today, the Constitutional Court only considers the constitutionality of regulations in accordance with those rights and freedoms recognized in the second chapter of the Constitution. The bill proposes to amend, so that the constitutionality of individual legal acts and judgments of general courts that have entered into force will be checked," Resonansi writes. " 'According to the bill, the powers of the Constitutional Court of Georgia are beyond the model for the control of standards. This model works in such prestigious courts as the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. In his initiative, Nanuashvili is talking about giving it as an exception for one year from the date of entry of the Act into force of retroactivity, which provides for a review of the decisions of general courts which have entered into force. Despite the fact that the initiative has provoked different reactions - especially with regard to giving retroactive effect to the law, as well as increasing the number of judges of the Constitutional Court and other issues, constitutionalists welcomed the initiative of the Ombudsman and evaluated it positively,' the newspaper notes," the article reads. "Constitutionalist Vakhushti Menabde claims that he welcomes this initiative, because with the help of the Constitutional Court the decisions of the general courts will be reviewed, and the extent to which this or that decision is rightly taken will be checked. It will allow the state to help with the restoration of justice. The Constitutionalist Avtandil Demetrashvili says that this initiative does not belong to Nanuashvili, as the Commission to expand the powers of the Constitutional Court, chaired by himself, demanded it back in 2009-2010," the article notes.
Finally, measures needed to restrain criminality in the country were in the focus of journalists. "Lawyers, human rights activists and experts criticized the promises of authorities to harshly respond to the criminal world for the murder of a policeman, in connection with security issues, and hope that the "tough response" is intended to extend police powers or carry out some additional measures. Some experts said that the state and the police have sufficient rights, resources and related factors in order to fight crime and to investigate crimes and punish the perpetrators. Another group of experts discusses the specific measures which government should take in such cases," Resonansi reports. The newspaper cites the harsh statements of officials in this regard, in particular, of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. "Anyone who raises his hand to the state will be strictly punished. They have no place among our people. I have instructed the Minister of the Interior to free our society from such criminals as quickly as possible," the newspaper quoted him as saying. However, not everyone believes that this approach is correct. There are opinions that only harm will come from it. "The current legal framework allows absolute freedom to investigate all cases and properly punish criminals. All the conditions are met to do this. If we want to create a police state and return to the past, from which we barely escaped, then it is a different matter. We already had such authorities. If someone wants to legitimize what they used to do illegally, I do not know. If the powers of the police are expanded, then problems with democracy will arise and we will again require the police to deprive these rights, it will be very difficult. Any government can take advantage of power badly and despite our demands not undo what can be done now. Because of the crime situation in the country, the powers of the police cannot be expanded. It is very risky. The state should deign and eradicate crime in those conditions that are created today," human rights activist Nana Kakabadse thinks.
