Georgians vote for joining Nato in a referendum

[Marcus Marulus]

Georgians vote for joining Nato in a referendum

Saturday, January 12, 2008

TBILISI, Georgia: More than 70 per cent of Georgians who took part in a nationwide referendum said they want the ex-Soviet nation to join Nato, according to results released on Friday.

The plebiscite was held simultaneously with the Jan 5 presidential vote in which US-allied Mikhail Saakashvili won his second presidential term.

The Central Election Commission said that 72.5 per cent of those who cast ballots in the referendum said they supported Georgia’s accession into Nato. The turnout was 58.9 per cent.

“We expected such results,” Georgy Baramidze, minister for European integration, said in televised comments. “They show that we have support of majority of the population.”

Saakashvili, a US-educated lawyer, has helped transform Georgia into a country with a growing economy and aspirations of joining the European Union and Nato, cultivating close ties with the US and decreasing Russia’s influence.

US officials have supported Georgia’s hopes of joining NATO, but no admission date has been set.

Saakashvili’s pro-Western course has been supported by many Georgians, but the 40-year old leader has faced accusations of authoritarian leanings.

He drew Western criticism for a violent crackdown on opposition protesters in November.

In a bid to ease domestic and foreign protests, Saakashvili called the early presidential vote and agreed to put the opposition’s demand for early parliamentary elections to a referendum.

Both votes had been set for late 2008. In the referendum, 69.8 per cent of those who cast ballots voted for holding early parliamentary elections in the spring.

[source]

[Errigal]

Do the citizens of the states who are currently members of NATO get to vote on whether they want Georgia to join their club? I don't think so.

[Marcus Marulus]

It is ridiculous even to suppose that votes on referenda mean anything. The decision to join NATO or decision that some country is not going to join it, is brought by representatives of closed structures of power. Referenda are charade. In Slovenia they had in 2004 a referendum on joining NATO, which had, as they said, not obligatory, but advisory character. It meant that government was not obliged to take into consideration the outcome of the referendum. What is such a referendum, than a waste of money?

And in cases of some countries, there wasn't even a referendum. In Croatia there won't be any referendum on joining that criminal organization, so the new government announced. And, as to the old members of NATO, did they join it as a result of referendum? Has anyone ever asked citizens of those countries, whether they want to join that military alliance?

The modern liberal democracy is a nauseating hypocritical fraud, but appearances must always be kept.

[Crvena zvezda]

Originally Posted by Marulus

And in cases of some countries, there wasn't even a referendum. In Croatia there won't be any referendum on joining that criminal organization, so the new government announced. And, as to the old members of NATO, did they join it as a result of referendum? Has anyone ever asked citizens of those countries, whether they want to join that military alliance?

This just shows that the government of Croatia is afraid that the Croatian voters will reject the criminal NATO organization. Most polls indicate that the Croat public is split relatively 50-50 on the issue and at times support for NATO has fallen before 40% during polls.