The Daily Dispatch – June 14

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TRAGIC MARK Today marks a tragic anniversary ofa flash flood that killed 21 Tbilisites in 2015. Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze and Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia opened a rehabilitated park in the valley of Vere river, which caused the disaster. They said the works ensure no such tragedy may occur in the future and thanked the European Union for support.

ELECTION FEVER You would have noticed from our dispatches that the election race is well and truly on. Having stumbled on their path to unity, the patchwork opposition parties seem to have redressed their cap, and seem to be inching closer towards running common candidates in first-past-the-post districts. UNM, which heard the colleagues’ urging and yielded some Tbilisi seats was instrumental in recovering the momentum. Today, UNMs erstwhile chief, Mikheil Saakashvili, threw his controversial hat in, saying the opposition should agree to also field common proportional lists. He was promptly rebuked by European Georgia – his former colleagues – who said the opposition is too ideologically multi-striped for going in full throttle. Giga Bokeria implied, Saakashvili is diverting attention from the main task – preventing the ruling party from taking all majoritarian seats.

PANDEMIC TO THE RESCUE? In the meantime, Irakli Kobakhidze (here he goes again…) said if the Covid-19’s second wave hits, the elections might be moved from planned October 31, to December. “If we’d need to impose the emergency [again], our Constitution gives the answer – the elections would be postponed and held 45-60 days after the emergency is lifted”, Kobakhidze stated. This pandemic is not to be taken lightly, but the ruling party innuendo is nonetheless worrying…

MORE DAMAGE After the restrictions have been eased, Georgia’s Covid-19 cases started growing again, one more patient died. Doctors fret that they can’t identify the source of some infections. While Georgia with its 124 confirmed active cases and 252 under hospital observation, Georgia is still doing well compared to its stricken neighbors. But as hot day’s approach, face-mask-fatigue sets in…

JUMPING SHIP? The Dispatch reported yesterday that two prominent journalists fled “TV Pirveli” which is stricken by subterranean political tremors. The rumor has it now, that they will move to Formula TV – a relatively new outlet considered politically close to European Georgia party. Full or partial re-shuffles of the TV media scene ahead of the elections are becoming a sad Georgian tradition. So is the sudden blooming of the “news agencies” that fan once the new MPs take their seats…

OTD 1920 – GEORGIA LOOKS AT MONTESSORI SCHOOLS In June 1920 the Education Ministry of the Georgian Democratic Republic reported concerning the first wave of reforms : 156 elementary schools were open only in five first months of 1920. The Social-Democratic Government planned to reach the full compulsory elementary education target in 1923. Adult education courses – Popular Universities – courses were running full speed, teachers’ training was stepped up in several “Normal Schools” across the country. School management was transferred to local governments. Interestingly, the government report says its emissaries are on their way to Milan, Italy, to study the experience of Montessori schools with a view of implementing their methodology in Georgia’s fledgling kindergartens. What Georgia could have been if this impressive drive to progress was not cut short as Soviet Russian troops invaded in February 1921?

Stories of the Georgian Democratic Republic are brought to you by our project Republic-100. You can see their English language website, or follow more stories on Georgian-language Facebook page.

That’s full lid for this week, we will meet again with Monday’s updates! Enjoy your weekend!