Georgia’s future path

OPINION:

Since 2003, little Georgia has played an outsized role in post-Soviet politics and history. It was here that the opposition first rejected a fraudulent election and mobilized a popular resistance movement that succeeded in ousting President Eduard Shevardnadze. President Mikheil Saakashvili, who led what became known as the Rose Revolution, won the presidency with a 96 percent tally in 2004. Georgia’s example was followed that year by Ukraine’s Orange Revolution and Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution in 2005, representing an historic wave of popular activism that cheered democrats while horrifying Moscow and leaders of repressive regimes.

For that reason, the Jan. 5 snap presidential election in Georgia had special significance. In the face of international criticism, Mr. Saakashvili resigned in November, after his government violently dispersed demonstrators in Tbilisi. He claimed they were planning to stage a coup at Moscow’s behest, but many observers inside and outside Georgia saw the crackdown, including the closing of the country’s most popular television station, as the culmination of three years of creeping authoritarianism. Seeking to salvage his reputation and renew his mandate, Mr. Saakshvili placed his fate in voters’ hands.

The elections took place in a highly polarized environment. As the head of the election observation mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as well as an observer in Gori (Joseph Stalin’s birthplace), we met with the candidates, including opposition leaders. Some of their claims about Mr. Saakashvili’s use of state resources in the campaign appeared credible. Nonetheless, the contest was the first genuinely competitive presidential election in Georgian history, allowing Georgians to express their political choice freely. Along with most domestic and international monitors, we concluded that the Georgian election largely met OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and standards.

At the same time, the future holds immense challenges for Georgia’s young democracy. On Jan. 6, a day after the vote, we witnessed thousands of opposition supporters peacefully rallying in Tbilisi against the results and the generally positive international assessment. We support their right to express their views and to contest the results in the courts. But we also urge opposition leaders to keep their actions within the law.

Georgian voters have opted for holding parliamentary elections this spring, which offer a critical opportunity for political reconciliation. It is essential that further work be done to update voter lists and improve the training of all election officials without delay. The Georgian government must address the election shortcomings and act on the recommendations of the international observers we have endorsed.

Mr. Saakashvili narrowly averted a runoff and won re-election but the key question is whether he has learned from the events of the last two months. His primary goals, understandably for any president of Georgia, are regaining Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two separatist regions that with Russian help have long been out of Tbilisi’s control. But we believe that he should devote no less time, passion, energy and resources to consolidating his country’s democratic achievements by building institutions of government, specifically, a strong parliament and independent judiciary and fostering civic consensus.

In short, Mr. Saakashvili must transcend his own legacy. The man who rode protests to power and introduced the color revolution into the political science lexicon and practice must make street politics obsolete in his own country. As its weary citizens know all too well, Georgia has been a revolutionary country; it is time now for Georgia to become a free and stable country with a government responsive to the needs of all Georgians.

Rep. Alcee L. Hastings of Florida is chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and served as the lead election observer in Georgia for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas participated in the OSCE observation mission. Both writers are Democrats.