Following the latest parliamentary elections in Georgia, NGOs which were registered in Azerbaijan and local media outlets, received instructions that show how to comment on the election results. According to information obtained by Mikroskop Media, the instructions were sent by the Presidential Administration, including directives on several key topics.
The main points emphasized in the instruction are as follows:
- Voters chose peace, development, tradition, and the celebration of national values over war and conflict.
- The Georgian government should focus more attention on resolving issues in areas where Azerbaijanis live.
- Azerbaijanis in Georgia supported Azerbaijan’s regional policies, the President’s stance, and the strengthening of Azerbaijani-Georgian relations.
- Azerbaijani voters contributed 7-8% of the ruling party’s overall votes.
- The election results dealt a significant blow to the West’s policy in Georgia and its attempts to create dividing lines in the region.
- If the opposition had won, there would have been a policy to divide the region alongside a “Western-backed” president.
- As for Armenia, it’s likely that, eventually, this country will also realize its belonging to the region.
Before the elections on October 26, Azerbaijani government-controlled media were already critical of Georgia’s opposition. Mikroskop Media’s previous monitoring revealed that TV Broadcasts – AzTV, Real TV, and ARB24 accused the West of “interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs.”
How Did Local Media and NGOs Follow the Theses on Georgian Elections? Mikroskop’s Monitoring Results
How media outlets’ coverage followed the instruction?
The Newspaper “Respublika”
The state media outlet “Respublika” used the instruction’s text directly in both the title and content of its article.
- Title: “Ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ Party Proves to Be the Leading Political Force in the Country.”
- Extract: “Azerbaijani voters provided 7-8% of the votes for the ruling party, indicating their significant influence in the elections.”
AzerTAc Information agency
The Azerbaijani State Information Agency covered the Georgian Parliamentary elections based on the interview with Ramil Iskandarli, Chairman of the National NGO Forum of Azerbaijan.
- Title: “The Active Participation of Azerbaijanis in Georgian Elections Played a Crucial Role – COMMENT.”
Identical Sentences with the Instruction:
- “The election results dealt a significant blow to the West’s policy in Georgia and its attempts to create dividing lines in the region.”
- “Three hundred thousand Azerbaijanis live in Georgia, and in all regions where they reside, the voting percentage has been high.”
- “The West’s desire to divide the region, open a second front, and turn Georgia into a colony of the West…”
Newspaper “Sharg” online version
This newspaper published a two-part article on the election outcomes, featuring an interview with a local political analyst in the second part of it.
- Title: “The People Have Spoken; There Will Be No Revolution in Georgia – OPINION.”
Identical Sentences with the Instruction:
- “Georgian citizens opposed the West’s policy of fragmenting the region and inciting conflict.”
- “If the election results had been different, there would have been a policy of dividing the region, opening a second front, and turning it into a colony of the West, together with a president aligned with the West.
- We hope that from now on, the Georgian government and ruling party will take a closer interest in the problems of Azerbaijanis and take real steps toward solving them.”
Report Information Agency
The Report Information Agency published a commentary on the elections.
- Title: “The Choice of Azerbaijanis in Georgia – Peace, Stability, Cooperation, Unity – COMMENT.”
- Focus: Highlighted the support of Azerbaijani citizens for “stability and a united Georgia.”
Keywords from the material:
- President aligned with the West
- Opening a second front in the region
- The issue of the ruling party taking a closer interest in the problems of Azerbaijanis
- Having a 7-8 percent share in the formation of the overall votes of Azerbaijanis
Trend Information Agency
In its coverage, Trend featured comments from members of parliament that aligned closely with the government’s instruction.
- Title: “Georgia Crushes Western Dreams: People Choose Future Prosperity – COMMENT.”
- MP Azer Badamov: “The Georgian government will likely value the loyalty of Azerbaijanis to the state and focus on addressing their concerns.”
- MP Vugar Iskanderov: “Azerbaijani voters make up approximately 7-8 percent of the total votes for the ruling party,”
AzerTAc
Another election-related material of the Azerbaijan State Information Agency is an interview with the Chairman of the Congress of Georgian Azerbaijanis (GAK) Huseyin Yusifov. The interview was shared with the “Azerbaijanis play an important role in the social and political life of Georgia – Statement.” In his interview, Huseynov also emphasizes the “great role of Azerbaijanis” in the victory of the “Georgian Dream” party.
He said the same sentence of the instruction: History also shows that when there is this union, both states become strong, defend their interests and take the same position at the international level.
NGOs’ social media posts based on the instructions
Azerbaijani NGOs primarily shared posts on Facebook that emphasized the role of ethnic Azerbaijanis in securing the “Georgian Dream” victory, also urging the Georgian government to pay more attention to their issues.
The Chairman of the Young Patriots Union, Mugan Aliyev, and “Ulvi” the Public Union for Supporting Low-Income Citizens, have shared the full text of the instruction on social media exactly as it is.
Other NGOs that shared posts matching the instruction verbatim include:
- Social Support for Sailors Public Union
- Family World Legal Aid to Families Public Union led by Gulay Guliyeva
- Migration Development Public Union
- Nadir Ismayilov, Chairman of the Central Asia and South Caucasus Freedom of Speech Network Public Union
- Support to IDPs of Khankendi Public Union led by Khatira Valiyeva
- Book House Public Union
