EurActiv: “Georgia’s quiet move away from ‘Messiah’ politics

A quiet transition has taken place under the Georgian Dream government, bringing the country in line with a fully-matured western democracy, writes Amanda Paul for EurActiv.

The Georgians have held their first round of parliamentary elections and passed their first test of democracy. Following a pre-electoral campaign which was relatively (and perhaps surprisingly) calm – bar several incidents which were notoriously reported – Election Day has come and gone without any major ripples.

For a country whose political scene has long been characterised by polarisation and unhealthy tension, this represents an important quality stamp”.

Paul notes the two main parties who collected the most votes (Georgian Dream with 48% and UNM with 24%) were no surprise but the key takeaway from October 8 was that the Georgians have voted to elect teams, not leaders.

There has been no rallying behind big personalities as in previous years. There has been a vote on a programme, on a policy agenda, on social values – a distinctly Western approach to politics and democracy. In brief, Georgia has stated clearly that it does not need any more Messiahs.”

Last Saturday’s vote confirmed the public supported Georgia’s current path of transitioning to a fully-matured western democracy, and much of this was due to the Georgian Dream government’s efforts to assimilate into Euro-Atlantic structures.

When Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili assumed office in December 2015 he had pledged a conciliatory approach to politics, vowing that his government would be open to cooperation with all the groups in the Parliament. Since January and notably in these elections, the Georgian Prime Minister has been remarkably constructive in comparison to his predecessors and peers, through statements and a series of initiatives promoting peaceful, free and fair elections.

The polarisation of Georgia’s political scene is of course still high. But these elections have shown that technocracy and democracy can go hand in hand.

Read the full article here: www.euractiv.com