All eyes on the upcoming presidential elections

There is always something new when it comes to Georgian politics. The recently held opposition rally has signified an important stage in Georgian politics. It made clear that the ruling Georgian Dream coalition is becoming a dominating force in the country. However, the not so distant past has shown that a one-party system can lead to problems.

There remain however, solutions to this situation. Either the ruling force could allow for the existence of a constructive opposition, or an artificial opposition which would be financed discreetly by the ruling power to create the illusion the existence of an oppositional force.

Some analysts suggest that during the reign of the United National Movement (UNM) there were attempts to create such a pseudo-opposition based on the Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) and the National-Democrats.

Another issue in this regard is the presidential election. The terms of acting president Mikheil Saakashvili expired in January of 2013. However, he still continues as President.

The Georgian Dream coalition does not want to continue the precedent of forcefully removing the President and it is making concessions by allowing Saakashvili to continue his presidency until October. From October Georgia will have a new President.

The amendments introduced into the state constitution some time ago deprived the President from many essential rights and powers giving them to the Prime Minister. This was done deliberately by the UNM, as it was envisioned that after Saakashvili’s term expired as president, he would simply move to the PM’s chair and extend his power legally (see Russia's Vladimir Putin).

According to the current situation in the country, the future president should manage to balance the different branches of power in Georgia and manage to stabilize the situation by harmonizing the distribution of power, monitoring the situation and leading the country on the international scene.

Who becomes the president is a very important issue. Most realistically, this person will be from the Georgian Dream, or he should be supported by the ruling power. However, the choice should be rational and this person must be well-balanced, competent, known to the general public for his/her pure reputation and other positive personal features. This person must be the guarantor of the democratic development of the country and be a watchdog of democracy.

In this case it would be easier for the country to promote the policy of a healthy and constructive opposition that doesn't rely on the ruling power, but will be trying to exercise separate policy and thus gain the sympathy of the population. Of course, in this case, snap parliamentary elections should be announced. This will clear the way for other political forces. There is even the possibility that the Georgian Dream could split into smaller segments and run separately.

However, there is one threat for the ruling party: the UNM could use this opportunity and try to regain its privileges.