Global Voices Online

TOL Georgia reports on the latest developments in the run-up to next month's parliamentary election in Georgia. In the first of three posts, the blog comments on news that the country's parliamentary speaker, Nino Burjanadze, appears to have temporarily retired from active politics ahead of the vote. Meanwhile, the president's former defense minister and now outspoken critic, Irakli Okruashvili, has applied for and received political asylum in France. In the final post so far, the blog says that it is likely that the Georgian president's National Movement party will gain the majority of votes in the crucial parliamentary vote. However, the blog says that such an outcome is not necessarily because the authorities have popular support. Indeed, following the disputed January presidential election, it concludes that the prerequisites for a free and fair vote are missing.