Eurasianet: Behind the ‘victory’ of Georgian Dream is Aliyev’s unqualified support
President Ilham Aliyev’s regime in Azerbaijan has offered unqualified support for the incumbent Georgian Dream party’s efforts to retain power amid Georgia’s disputed parliamentary elections, Eurasianet writes.
According to information obtained by an independent, Berlin-based Azerbaijani media outlet, Mikroskop Media, Aliyev administration officials issued instructions to pro-government Azerbaijani media outlets, along with government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOS), to praise Georgian Dream’s convincing victory in the Oct. 26 elections.
The instructions reportedly distributed by Azerbaijani government officials contained a list of talking points covering the Georgian election results. Among the recommended comments were: “Voters voted against war and confrontation, and for peace, progress, and celebration of national values;” and “The results of the elections are a big blow to the policy of the West in Georgia and the policy of creating dividing lines in the region.”
State-aligned media outlets appear to have dutifully fulfilled the administration’s wishes.
Authorities in Baku also urged Azerbaijani media to emphasize the high level of support given by Georgian Azerbaijanis to Georgian Dream.
Shortly after the Georgian Dream-controlled Central Election Commission announced the results, Aliyev congratulated Georgian PM Irakli Kobakhidze on his party’s victory and invited him to Baku.
A shared desire to reduce Western influence in the Caucasus appears to be driving the Aliyev administration’s support for Georgian Dream. Of late, Aliyev has been a vocal critic of the European Union, France in particular, which he accuses of favoring Armenia in the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process. Georgian Dream, meanwhile, has accused the United States and EU of trying to foment coups and revolutions designed to create a pro-Western puppet state.
Both Azerbaijan and Georgia have also strengthened relations with Russia of late. Russia’s foreign intelligence service chief, Sergey Naryshkin, visited Baku earlier in October. A readout of Naryshkin’s meetings with Azerbaijani officials noted that among the near-term bilateral goals was “joint work to counter activities by Western special services … aimed at disrupting the internal political stability of our states.”
One viral video filmed at an election station in Azerbaijani-majority Marneuli district captured an election official aggressively stuffing a bunch of ballots into the box. The polling station was closed shortly after, and investigation was launched. However, local observers asserted that this was far from an isolated case of fraud.
