AUG. 14 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan’s PM, Omurbek Babanov, has denied allegations that he accepted a racehorse as a bribe in exchange for granting government contracts to a construction firm, media reported. The opposition wants a no-confidence motion against Mr Babanov, which could collapse the ruling coalition.
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(News report from Issue No. 101, published on Aug. 17 2012)
AUG. 10 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Georgia fined Kakha Kaladze, a Georgian ex-international footballer, $10.3m for withdrawing $2m without explaining how he was going to spend the cash, media reported. Mr Kaladze, Georgia’s most famous living footballer, supports Georgia’s opposition. Last month, the authorities froze his bank accounts on fraud allegations.
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(News report from Issue No. 101, published on Aug. 17 2012)
AUG. 30 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Opposition groups in Azerbaijan have promised to increase protests next year ahead of presidential election planned for October, the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported. The election is almost certain to re-instate Ilham Aliyev as Azerbaijan’s president.
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(News report from Issue No. 099, published on Aug. 3 2012)
JULY 27 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A bank in Georgia froze the account of one of the country’s most famous footballers, ex-AC Milan player Kakha Kaladze, for alleged money laundering. The 34-year-old Mr Kaladze, who won 84 caps for Georgia, said the charges are politically motivated. He openly supports Georgia’s opposition.
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(News report from Issue No. 099, published on Aug. 3 2012)
JULY 12 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – The deputy head of Azerbaijan’s banned Islamist Party, Vagif Abdullayev, has died in prison from a heart attack, his colleagues said. In January 2011 police arrested Mr Abdullayev and six other members of the Islamist Party for possessing weapons and plotting revolution. In October, a court sentenced him to 11 years in jail.
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(News report from Issue No. 097, published on July 20 2012)
JULY 9 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Ayaz Mutalibov, Azerbaijan’s first post-Soviet president, returned to Baku after a 20 year exile. Mr Mutalibov was the Communist chief in Baku in Jan. 1990 when soldiers shot dead dozens of protesters. He became president of independent Azerbaijan in 1991 but fled in 1992. A new law gives ex-presidents immunity.
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(News report from Issue No. 096, published on July 13 2012)
JULY 19 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Voters in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan, voted in a presidential election, a vote unrecognised by the international community. Since a war in the 1990s, ethnic Armenians have predominantly populated Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan has called the election a “provocation” and analysts have warned the vote may destabilise the area.
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(News report from Issue No. 097, published on July 20 2012)
JULY 5 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Security services in Kyrgyzstan said they have detained the minister for social development, Ravshan Sabirov, for allegedly planning to take a bribe. The day before, the security services said, they arrested Mr Sabirov’s assistant for taking a $10,000 bribe, cash he alleged was going to his boss.
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(News report from Issue No. 095, published on July 6 2012)
JUNE 30 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Politics in Georgia can often be messy and spill out on to the streets.
That, possibly, is part of the reason why President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed long-time ally Vano Merabishvili as prime minister.
Mr Merabishvili has a reputation as a tough operator willing to take difficult decisions. He had been interior minister since 2004 and is credited with reforming the police and stamping out corruption — a popular move that has earned him respect and a reputation as a man of action.
Installing Mr Merabishvili as PM will boost the appeal of Mr Saakashvili’s party, the United National Movement.
It’s going to be a busy election season with a parliamentary election in October and a presidential election in January. Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili is a tough opponent. He has already proved that he can galvanise Georgia’s opposition and pulled thousands of supporters on to the streets.
Mr Saakashvili may have played one of his ace cards already by installing the popular Mr Merabishvili as prime minister.
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(News report from Issue No. 095, published on July 6 2012)
JUNE 22 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pardoned 66 prisoners, including nine arrested during anti-government demonstrations last year, media reported. Earlier this month, during a visit to Baku, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for the release of opposition prisoners in Azerbaijan.
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(News report from Issue No. 094, published on June 29 2012)