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THE GEORGIAN TIMES: SAAKASHVILI WON THE REGIONS, GACHECHILADZE TAKES TBILISI
The results of the January 5, 2008 presidential election varied intriguingly from region to region.
Incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili met defeat in the capital, Tbilisi, falling to main opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze - but Saakashvili, the presumed winner, won in a landslide in western Georgia. GT broke down the Central Election Commission’s preliminary results by region, to look at who did well where, and why.
Tbilisi was a success story for Gachechiladze. He won almost every district in the capital, losing only Samgori and Krtsanisi, where Saakashvili took more than half the vote. Gachechiladze had his strongest showing in Vake, taking more than 48%.
51-year-old Merab, a Vake resident, said it is not tough to guess why Gachechialdze won the upscale central district.
“He is our neighbor, we know him, and we believe he can help our country and people,” Merab says.
Analysts are also dissecting Saakashvili’s weak performance in the capital. The events of November 7, when riot police cracked down on anti-government protestors, are still fresh in the minds of Tbilisi citizens. But many point to disaffection with Saakashvili’s reforms, which cost many jobs and properties in the capital.
Other opposition candidates fared better in Tbilisi than in the regions: Badri Patarkatsishvili had his highest number in Isani, taking more than 12%; Davit Gamkrelidze in Vake, with over 7%; Shalva Natelashvili in Gldani, winning over 10%; Gia Maisashvili in Saburtalo, getting about 2%; and Irina Sarishvili in Samgori, clearing 1%.
The western region of Samegrelo stood out as a Saakashvili stronghold. He took more than 74% in Senaki, as well as high results in Zugidi and Tsalenjikha. The results were expected: Saakashvili lavished attention on the Megrelians of the region, holding many rallies and speeches in Samegrelo and particularly Zugdidi, the last big town on the way to separatist Abkhazia.
But opposition politician Jondi Bagaturia argues that Saakashvili is not, in fact, beloved by the people of Samegrelo.
“I am Megrelian myself,” he says, “and I think that this incorrect information [of Megrelian support for Saakashvili] humiliates these people’s reputation. The elections were rigged in Senaki, where our observers found about two hundred falsified ballots in every district. They were printed and signed beforehand. People were deeply involved in fraud. Some even dared to use criminal methods, like intimidation and blackmail.”
Kakheti, in the east, was also swept by Saakashvili. He found his highest support, about 60%, in the recently renovated tourist town of Sighnaghi.
Saakashvili also won in Guria, Adjara and Kutaisi, but not by the large margin seen nationally. Labor Party candidate Shalva Natelashvili won his home region of Dusheti, with more than 46% of the vote. Mountainous Kazbegi, meanwhile, puzzled onlookers by giving 42% of its vote to Gachechiladze in one of his strongest results outside the capital.
Saakashvili’s outright majority nationwide is thanks to the country’s ethnic minorities. In ethnic Azeri-populated Marneuli, he won about 90% of the vote. He also won big in Gardabani, Bolnisi, Dmanisi and Tsalka.
In Marneuli, 40-year-old resident Tea points out, ethnic minorities have a long history of staunchly supporting the incumbent. As long as they aren’t being suppressed, she says, they are anxious to keep the sitting president for fear a new one could have less benign policies.
Bagaturia, the opposition politician, claims that ethnic Azeris in Marneuli complained about widespread vote fraud.
The few residents of Upper Abkhazia, the only portion of the secessionist region controlled by Tbilisi, gave firm support to Saakashvili. He took most of the vote from conflict zone residents, who tend to say they believe he is the only person able to retake Georgia’s lost territory.
Saakashvili also won among the Georgian Diaspora, some of whom said he is best positioned to bring Georgia closer to the West, and improve living standards at home.
But the incumbent’s stiffest support came from Georgian soldiers in Iraq and Kosovo, who voted for Saakashvili by a resounding 97%.
Giorgi, a 25-year-old with a brother in Iraq, says the soldiers are pleased with the modernizing reforms the army has gone through under Saakashvili.
The latest results from the Central Election Commission, with some votes still being counted, are:
Mikheil Saakashvili: 53.28%
Levan Gachechiladze: 25.66%
Arkadi Patarkatsishvili: 7.1%
Shalva Natelashvili: 6.55%
Davit Gamkrelidze: 4.05%
Gia Maisashvili: 0.78%
Irina Sarishvili-Chanturia: 0.19%
The opposition, however, say those results were fixed. Bagaturia points out to a number of regions he says Saakashvili should have lost, but didn’t.
Opposition supporters are readying themselves for a protest on January 13, but most international observers deemed the election essentially democratic, and foreign heads of states have already called to congratulate Saakashvili on his reelection.
Kristine Pertaia
The Georgian Times, January 14, 2008
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