Pension becomes GEL 100

From September 1, retired Georgian citizens' pensions will be a minimum of GEL 100 and according to official data there are 661 000 age pensioners in Georgia. During the pre election campaigning, candidate for the Tbilisi Mayor, Gigi Ugulava, promised to Tbilisi inhabitants a pension of up to GEL 100, he explained that life is more expensive in Tbilisi than in the regions, however the state decided differently and the pension of GEL 100 will be distributed to all retired citizens of Georgia, to all males 65 years or above and females 60 or above. However, the Georgian population remembers that in the early years of his presidency, Saakashvili promised to the population that the minimum pension would reach USD 100. Prime Minister, Nika Gilauri recently repeated the same promise, giving verbal guarantees to do so. Among the post soviet countries, Georgia runs fifth from bottom with its level of pension, above Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan as analysts calculate that a GEL 100 pension is less than half the necessary amount to survive for one person, meaning the pensioner can only serve his or her need for nutrition. No medicine and no utilities are included in this amount, so, in reality, Georgian pensioners are doomed.