Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Vital Signs Of Democracy In The South Caucasus

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Vital Signs Of Democracy In The South Caucasus

    VITAL SIGNS OF DEMOCRACY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
    Giorgi Lomsadze

    EurasiaNet.org
    June 29 2011
    NY

    In keeping with a persistent trend, the state of democracy in the South
    Caucasus ranges from so-so (Georgia) to bad (Armenia) to really bad
    (Azerbaijan), according to the recently released "Nations in Transit,"
    an annual democracy health test for the former Soviet Union, Central
    and Eastern Europe, prepared by the Washington, DC-based Freedom House.

    First case: Azerbaijan. The country was diagnosed with a "Consolidated
    Authoritarian Regime," a chronic and "severe disregard of basic
    freedoms" and of "due democratic process." The richest in resources
    and the poorest in democracy of the three South Caucasus countries,
    energy-rich Azerbaijan saw its 2011 score slip by a seventh of a
    point to 6.46, a notch above the absolute-failure score of 7.

    Last year's parliamentary vote, widely seen as a state-managed show
    to lend a whiff of legitimacy to Azerbaijan's ruling Aliyev dynasty,
    contributed to the decline. The report holds that the ruling elite
    continues to bathe in the country's natural resources -- oil and gas
    -- and allows no leeway for opposition, media or civil oversight;
    in effect, leaving Azerbaijan vulnerable to the same pressures that
    led to the Arab uprisings.

    Meanwhile, next door in Armenia, the government this year ranked as
    "Semi-Consolidated Authoritarian." Armenian media are more proactive
    and civil society groups enjoy respect, the report argues. The
    government, too, has shown itself to be relatively flexible, by
    striking some compromises this year with the opposition.

    But freedoms only go so far in Armenia, with President Serzh Sargsyan's
    government enjoying disproportionate de-facto privileges over its
    opponents. A deep economic crisis, now on the mend, and failure to
    revise electoral legislation properly are among the setbacks that
    pulled Armenia's democracy score down by a hair to 5.43, the rough
    equivalent of a grade of "D" (or "poor").

    And last, but not least, we have Georgia, again a teacher's pet by
    comparison. It ranked as the only South Caucasus country that saw its
    Freedom House score improve (from 4.93 to 4.86) and the only country
    east of Ukraine to fall into the "Transitional Government or Hybrid
    Regime" category.

    Freedom House found that Georgia's post-2008 war pressures are
    subsiding and domestic politics are migrating from the streets
    into negotiations, as illustrated by a compromise deal this week on
    electoral law; the group noted, though, that this year has seen an
    abuse of power by police during the May 26 dispersal of an opposition
    protest rally.

    As with any promising pupil, however, there is room for improvement.

    The judiciary system apparently remains impervious to attempts to
    bolster its independence, while international organizations are
    scratching their heads over how to improve media professionalism and
    civil society's role in policy formulation.

    The post-Saakashvili future also remains a gaping unknown; the report
    asks whether President Mikheil Saakashvili will pull a Putin once
    his term ends in 2013; i.e. will he stay in power as prime minister,
    like Russia's Vladimir Putin did.


    From: Baghdasarian
Working...
X