The main event of the past week in Georgia was the conclusion of the formation of the government. The parliament voted confidence in the Cabinet on the night of May 8-9.
'I think that we will see several changes before fall. The parliament has voted confidence in the new Cabinet, and the prime minister may now replace six ministers the way he likes, and all he needs for that is the parliament's approval. I think that radical measures will be taken... When they say that the lari will stabilize in June, it raises questions. Clearly, the lari will stabilize sometime for sure, but at what point?! If the lari drops to 3 laris per dollar, it would be a catastrophe for the population. It would inevitably be followed by acute social protest. The government, even in its revamped form, would hardly take stiff measures in this strand. As the minister of economy said, some buildings were privatized, a stream of tourists is expected, but I doubt that it will be enough. But let's watch, June is near,' Kviris Palitra quotes Vakhtang Dzabiradze.
'Obviously, the government's approval is waning. The process is not associated with the devaluation of the lari, it had started earlier, the factor has simply been playing its role. If the devaluation of the lari goes on, the approval will fall proportionally to the national currency. I think the government understands it well. The country has many problems. To be honest-to-God, not a single leader could save the country from the bog with just one hand motion. The problem of stabilizing the lari may not only provoke a permutation in the Cabinet, it may put the competence of the whole government under doubt, and it means that a need for off year elections would arise. Otherwise, the government would just get no confidence. The issue, I reckon, will become topical in June. So, the new old government no longer has the right for a mistake. Otherwise, we will get early elections,' he concluded.
Jibaridze is not the only one who pays attention to the gravity of the socio-economic situation in the country. The Georgian press is regularly publishing articles whose authors rue that the already intricate situation in the sector is further aggravating.
'The results of the census show exacerbation in poverty indicators. 9% used to have the minimal subsistence level, in light of the overall dropping population, the indicator has tumbled to 11%. 1.6 million people, or 44% of the population, call themselves poor and need state support. The figure was 36% in the previous census. It means that about half of the people are poor, one in every ten is needy. In the last few years the poverty rate in Georgia has not changed. The registered share of the population below the poverty line was 9.2% in 2011, 9.7% in 2012-13. According to the Georgian Statistical Agency, the country had a population of 4.5 million people. Concerning the data of 2014, the poverty level assessed by the Georgian Statistical Agency was not published. If we look at the official data of the Agency for Social Service, we can find that, despite various social projects, the number of the poor and those considering themselves poor, has not dropped. Moreover, in the general population, the category of people has only grown,' Rezonansi reports.
'According to preliminary data of the census conducted by the Georgian Statistical Agency, the population of Georgia is 3.73 million people. The database of the Agency for Social Service has 1,620,996 people below the poverty line, or 43.4% of the country's population. Those are people considering themselves to be poor and in need of state support. Concerning the number receiving subsistence, according to official statistics of the Georgian Statistical Agency, 407,637 receive aid, which is about 11% of the Georgian population. The Gini coefficient points to the grave social condition in Georgia too. According to the Georgian Statistical Agency, the Gini coefficient totals 0.47 in terms of general expenses. According to specialists, when the Gini coefficient goes over 0.4 it means that the country has a high income and property differentiation. According to specialists, Georgia is the only country in Europe and the post-Soviet space with such a high difference between incomes. According to statistics, the cash income of the 5% of the richest stratum in Georgia exceeds the income of the 5% of the poorest stratum 65-70-fold. In terms of income inequality among social strata, the average European level is exceeded two-fold and more,' informs the source.
Media write about foreign policy in this light. Many talks have been provoked by a survey on EaEU membership conducted by NDI. 'According to the NDI research, 31% of people gave a positive answer to Georgia's joining the EaEU. 41% more noted that it was fine, the rest refused to reply and chose the 'I do not know' category,' Rezonansi reports.
'Since Georgia had become an independent state, the negotiations on joining NATO have been ongoing. We were happy that we were moving towards the West. Most people got tired of it. They got disappointed with the West. Of course, there is a category of people advocating a change of conscience and increase of the number of supporters of the Eurasian Union. The West, in its turn, is hesitating, people no longer trust it because nothing has been done. Part of the advocates of the Eurasian Union are interested financially, another part are principally keeping to the position. The increase of the percentage is very bad. That is why I think that we need to explain to the West that everything should be done very timely. The majority want to see the country in the EU, myself included, so that we would live in an independent and civilized country,' the paper quotes film director Gogi Toradze.
Another important foreign political issue is traditionally relations with Russia. They have been put in the spotlight due to the 70th Anniversary of the Great Victory. Long before May 9, Georgia had actively been discussing whether the top officials should celebrate the day in Moscow. As a result, the republic's authorities have decided to skip them.
Nino Burjanadze, the leader of the Democratic Movement, has recently criticized the Tbilisi authorities. 'I was in Moscow 5 years ago, when I needed to. Back then, I held meetings important for my country. Now, there is no need to visit Russia. It was impolite of me. The Russian authorities said three times that they were ready to talk with our leaders, but we ignored it. Clearly, the authorities should have made a visit. It was a chance to start a dialogue,' Rezonansi quotes her.
'It was an opportunity to open the closed dialogue. I urged the government several times to make the step and get behind the negotiating table with the top Russian authorities, but they are not doing it. They prefer to make loud, yet useless, statements. Please, carry on with the course, but it will not lead to anything. Our country will simply disintegrate. I will be under the rubble together with you. I am not going to run anywhere, and I will stay in the country to the end,' the ex-speaker of the parliament said.
Georgian media described the May 9 events in the context of Russian-Georgian relations. They bore in mind that Victory Day is one of the country's key dates. Many sources published articles on the contribution that Georgians made to the victory over the Nazi Germany.
'As historians say, Georgia does not have a single family that did not lose anyone in the Second World War. The war did tremendous damage to our country. Over half a million were called up for arms in Georgia alone. 200,000 of them died or went missing, over 100,000 returned disabled. Several Georgian divisions were formed during the war. The 224th Georgian Division took part in the fighting at Kerch and was totally obliterated. The 242nd, 392nd and the 414th Divisions were protecting the Caucasus. Georgians have actively been participating in guerilla operations... Many facts have been preserved about the heroes, privates or commanders who dedicated all their talent to warfare, and they sacrificed their lives without any hesitation when needed,' Rezonansi reminds.
One of the heroes of Georgia is Lieutenant General Vasily Mzhavanadze, whose story was described by his daughter Nina. 'At the sun-up of June 22, 1941, when the Northern Army Group started the offensive towards the Baltic states, to take over Leningrad and Kronstadt. On the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, martial law was declared in Leningrad and the Leningrad Oblast. On June 25, Finland declared war on the USSR again. My father was a commissar of the headquarters of the 8th Army, located on the Finnish border, at that time. The Finns started an attack, but they retreated after four days of bloody fighting. In Leningrad, on June 29, the first evacuation was announced. The Germans needed to take a strategic position to move to Leningrad, but only the 8th Army forces stopped German commanders of the attacking army sent to take over Leningrad. The fascist plan to quickly take over Leningrad failed. One part was protecting the coastal areas, another one was moving towards Leningrad to protect Oranienbaum. My father was appointed as the commissar of the 118th Rifle Division of the ground operative group, which was supposed to break the fascist encirclement. Near Oranienbaum (Lomonosovo), the 118th Rifle Division took fascist fortified positions as a result of bloody fighting, breaking the encirclement, and was deployed around the city. On October 28 the Leningrad Military Council formed the Primorskaya Operative Group. Major General Astanin was appointed as the commander, Brigadier Commissar Vasily Mzhavanadze was the deputy. My father was ordered to control and protect the maritime territory along Leningrad and its outskirts,' Nina recalled.
'Leningrad was in a very grave situation. At the end of September 1941, 280 fascist planes dropped 520 demolition bombs. It was the most high-scale bombing in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Hitler was in a hurry, he needed to seize Leningrad, then Moscow before winter. That is why Leningrad was attacked by the strongest armies. Since November 20, 1941, the food norm of Leningrad had been cut for the fifth time, workers were to receive 250g of bread a day, the rest 125g. Soldiers on the frontline were getting 500g of bread a day, 300g on the home front. As I have noted, my father Vasily Mzhavanadze became the commissar of the Primorskaya Operative Group on October 28, 1941. The group included several divisions of marines and several brigades. He was in command of about 50,000 officers and soldiers. The group was fighting along the borders of the city. In January 1942, by the decision of the political authorities of the Leningrad Front, my father was endorsed as a member of the Military Council of the Leningrad Front,' the war hero's daughter described.
