Page 10 - GEORptJun18

saw the emergence of two opposition parties - Prosperous Armenia, led by business tycoon and former politician Gagik Tsarukyan and the Yelk alliance, which formed shortly before the election in late 2016.
Armenia is considered a "semi-consolidated authoritarian regime" by Freedom House, reflecting the fact that freedom of speech in the country is curtailed and that journalists face harassment. This year will be dominated by former president Serzh Sargsyan, who is currently pursuing the office of prime minister with extended powers. His appointment in this position will have implications for institutions at the national level and will serve as an indication of the ruling elites' true intentions regarding the constitutional changes, according to the watchdog.
Freedom House rates countries from 1 to 7, with 7 being the worst score, based on seven different metrics - corruption, independent media, local democratic governance, judicial independence, electoral process, civil society and national democratic governance.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Georgia also experienced a deterioration in its Freedom House score, from 4.61 in 2016 to 4.68 in 2017, which corresponds to a marginal degradation in its democratic governance. The country is classified as a "transitional government or hybrid regime". The main changes the country unerwent in 2017 were a decline in its independent media rating, from 4 to 4.25, due to the politicised editorial policies at Georgian Public Broadcasting, the state-owned broadcaster; and in the judicial framework, a fall from 4.75 to 5, due to the illegal deportation of Azerbaijani dissident and journalist Afghan Mukhtarli to more dictatorial neighbour Azerbaijan.
In response to the rating, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said that the report is "extremely biased" and that "Freedom House should think twice before spreading such biased assessments of Georgia's democratic development". According to Kvirikashvili, the government has "significantly upgraded the level of democracy in Georgia. The situation in terms of human rights is absolutely different. We have one of the most active civil sectors and the media is totally free from governmental influences”.
2.6 Polls & Sociology
New poll indicates continued Georgia trend of dissatisfaction with national institutions
A new poll by the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in Survey Research indicates a continued trend of dissatisfaction with national institutions in Georgia, including the police, but it also indicates a more positive trend in attitudes toward local institutions.
“Not long ago, the police were considered an exemplar of Georgia’s commitment to reducing corruption,” said Stephen Nix, IRI regional director for Eurasia in a press release issued on May 29. “The dramatic decrease in trust reflected in this latest IRI poll is troubling, and appears to be closely related to the popular perceptions that corruption and crime have increased over the last two years.”
The police force’s approval rating fell from 88% in May 2013 to 50% today. Public trust has also slipped in several other key institutions over the same time frame, including the Cabinet of Ministers (down 45 points), the parliament
10 GEORGIA Country Report June 2018 www.intellinews.com