OCT. 25 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Georgia’s 150-seat parliament in Kutaisi formally voted in a new government headed by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the opposition coalition that defeated President Mikheil Saakashvili’s party in an election on Oct. 1. Mr Ivanishvili’s coalition won 85 seats in parliament.
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(News report from Issue No. 110, published on Oct. 26 2012)
OCT. 23 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Proclaiming a period of “happiness”, Turkmen president Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov pledged to spend profits from gas sales on improving living standards. Turkmenistan, routinely criticised for human rights abuses, holds the world’s fourth largest gas reserves and has boosted exports over the past few years.
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(News report from Issue No. 110, published on Oct. 26 2012)
OCT. 8 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Bidzina Ivanishvili, head of the Georgian opposition coalition that won a parliamentary election on Oct. 1, put himself forward as the new PM. Also named in his cabinet, which is yet to be formally ratified, were former AC Milan footballer Kakha Kaladze as development minister and Irakly Alasania, a former envoy to the UN, as defence minister.
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(News report from Issue No. 108, published on Oct. 12 2012)
OCT. 5 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and his opposition coalition, Georgian Dream, pulled off a shock victory in a parliamentary election in Georgia on Oct. 1.
They defeated the victor of the 2003 Rose Revolution — Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his political party United National Movement party (UNM).
Final results are not yet out, but estimates suggest that Georgian Dream will claim about 83 seats in the 150-seat parliament.
This was both a stunning and surprising victory. Analysts had predicted an easy win for UNM.
Now, though, Mr Ivanishvili has to show that he is not only a wily campaigner but can also govern. And this is where it will get complicated. Other than vague notions of improving ties with Russia while still moving towards the West, Mr Ivanishvili has been light on policy ideas.
A new constitution, due to be adopted next year further complicates matters. Until then, the president is still the most powerful figure in the country and even appoints the prime minister. After the new constitution comes into play, power shifts to the prime minister.
And there is also the small matter of another election, this time a presidential election, scheduled for Oct. 2013. It’s likely to be an unsettling 12 months in Georgia.
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(News report from Issue No. 107, published on Oct. 5 2012)
OCT. 3 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijan’s parliament has thrown out Gular Ahmadova, the MP filmed trying to organise a bribe from a businessman in exchange for a seat in the legislature, media reported. The video, filmed in 2005, has shaken the Azerbaijani political establishment. Ms Ahmadova had been a relatively prominent figure in the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party.
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(News report from Issue No. 107, published on Oct. 5 2012)
SEP. 21 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev sacked Aslan Musin as his chief of staff. In Mr Musin’s place, Mr Nazarbayev promoted the loyal PM Karim Masimov. No official reason was given for the change but many analysts believe that Mr Musin had become too powerful.
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(News report from Issue No. 106, published on Sep. 28 2012)
SEP. 3 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz parliamentarians patched together a new coalition, quashing fears of instability after the Ar-Namys and Ata-Meken parties quit government nine days earlier. The Social Democratic party’s Jantoro Satibaldiyev, a former chief of the presidential staff, is the new PM. Ar-Namys and Ata-Meken are part of the 3-party coalition.
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(News report from Issue No. 104, published on Sep. 14 2012)
AUG. 27 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev asked his political party, the Social Democrats, to try to form a new governing coalition in parliament after the collapse last week of a four-party group over corruption allegations, media reported. The Social Democrats have 15 days to form a government.
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(News report from Issue No. 103, published on Aug. 31 2012)
MAY 28 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov sacked his energy minister, Bairamgeldy Nedirov, for “serious shortcomings”, media quoted the presidential office as saying. Mr Nedirov had served as energy minister since Aug. 2008. His dismissal on May 25 came two days after signing a gas deal with India and Pakistan.
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(News report from Issue No. 090, published on June 1 2012)
APRIL 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – An enraged Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan’s president, sacked his energy minister, Yarmukhamet Orazgulyev, for being a bad parent, media reported.
Mr Orazgulyev’s son had been racing through Ashgabat with other sons and daughters of the Turkmen elite, when he crashed his car. One person was killed in the crash.
It was not clear who died in the crash but Mr Berdymukhamedov’s irritation was clear.
Not only did he sack Mr Orazgulyev as the energy minister but he also sacked the head of the prestigious university where many of the offspring of the elite study.
The incident provides two useful insights into Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most repressive and secretive countries.
Firstly, Mr Orazgulyev’s reaction to his dismissal showed the extent of Mr Berdymukhamedov’s powers. State media described him agreeing with Mr Berdymukhamedov that he had been a poor parent and begging for any sort of job.
Secondly, the incident highlights the joy-riding, privileged lifestyles of the sons and daughters of the elite who appear to have been able to treat Ashgabat at night as their personal race track, with officials and policemen unwilling to challenge them.
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(News report from Issue No. 084, published on April 20 2012)