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2012 televised political advertisements

October 9, 2012

Shorena Latatia

Political TV-advertisements are one of the most effective methods of introducing voters to the election program of each political party. The clearer and more convincing the pre-election promises of political parties, the more chance they have to win elections. However, at the same time, election promises must be realistic and relevant to the main needs of population.

We monitored advertisements and the main messages of each political party during the 2012 Parliamentary Elections within the framework of the project 'Media Monitoring of Parliamentary Elections'.

Media Monitoring of Parliamentary Elections is implemented with financial support from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) within the framework of a four-year project, Increased Trust in Electoral Process (ITEP), financed by USAID (US Agency for International Development).

More Benefit to People – National Movement

National Movement presented three main priorities: employment, available healthcare and development of agriculture.

Consequently, video-clips of the political party were about halving unemployment in the country, making healthcare available for every Georgian citizen, doubling productivity in agriculture and distribution of a 1000-lari voucher; on the other hand, the video-clips presented a list of public needs which were not resolved during UNM's 9-year governance.

The political party promised voters that they would solve the unemployment problem by creating an employment ministry: “Many families in Georgia live in poverty; unemployment is still high and it is still a huge problem for many people to find a stable job. Now it is time to help every family feel the progress of our country! The government of Georgia has established a new ministry of employment which will register every jobless person. They will receive allowances like the 1000 lari voucher to fund their vocational training,” the video-clip states.

The political party promised medical insurance and a 1000 lari voucher, valid for four years, to every citizen in order to help them pay for healthcare. The advertisement also presented the achievements of the health system in recent years (for example, hundreds of new hospitals were built). The video-clip also informed people that the government of Georgia provided medical insurance for every retired person, every child under 6 and every student from September 1, 2012; the government promised medical insurance for every citizen of Georgia within the next 4 years.

As for the advertisement about the development of agriculture, it says: “National Movement claims that every citizen must feel the progress of Georgia. So we must reinforce the villages, create an irrigation system which will irrigate 90 000 hectares of land, open mechanization centers throughout the country to supply Georgian villages with tractors and peasants with knowledge. United National Movement – Feel Progress.”

Bidzina Ivanishvili – Georgian Dream

“Let Us Realize the Georgian Dream Together” – this slogan was used in almost every video-clip of Georgian Dream. Unlike UNM, Georgian Dream (and other political parties) actively used public speeches of their leaders in their advertisements. We often observed announcements from Georgian Dream’s assemblies in various regions of Georgia. In the announcements, Coalition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili informed people about their election program and called upon them to attend their assemblies and finally to vote for them on election day.

There were many promises about creating public welfare, universal medical insurance, increased availability of healthcare, education, development of agriculture and many other improvements in  Georgian Dream’s advertisements.

In these video-clips, Georgian Dream promised to promote the development of small and medium businesses, increase the availability of credit, protect property rights and introduce a competitive policy. “I promise you that monopolist business will be abolished. There will be some fixed advantages for businesses. A secure environment will be ensured for foreign investors, which will support the creation of  places of work,” Bidzina Ivanishvili said in one of the advertisements.

Wealthy Families in Village and City – New Rights

“Wealthy Families in Village and City”  was the slogan of New Rights  during their pre-election campaign.

Advertisement clips of New Rights mostly focused on creating an advantageous environment for agricultural business and developing small and medium businesses. They also spoke about transforming agriculture into an attractive industry for business.

New Rights promised to allocate 600 million lari for the reinforcement of agriculture from the state budget every year.

“A wealthy family means employed family members with a decent income, whose income per month is 1000 lari; a guaranteed medical service for every person provided either by an insurance company or by state programs; accessibility of high-quality education, a pension for elderly family members that will ensure a decent life for the entire family,” the advertisement states.

Education for Children, Employment for Parents, Respect for Retired People- Christian-Democratic Movement

“Electricity – 10 tetri, gas – 5 tetri, free water,” this was CDM’s promise during the 2010 local self-governmental elections and it was used during the 2012 parliamentary elections too. This time, CDM promised the population low tariffs.

“The establishment of fair tariffs in Georgia is the only, best andquickest way to improve social conditions of the impoverished population of Georgia, to work our way out of the frozen and broken economic engine of our country. So, do not stay at home! Get in touch with your relatives! Visit your acquaintances! Use the internet! Enter every house where you can find our people! Everybody should remember that selecting number 10 on the Election Day automatically means the establishment of fair tariffs in our country and putting Georgian energy at the service of Georgian People! Victory to our joint effort, our joint struggle!” Giorgi Targamadze said in one of their video-clips.

CDM made a new promise to purchase 75% of Telasi [Tbilisi electricity distribution company] assets and 100% of Energo-Pro Georgia [electricity distribution company which supplies regions of Georgia with electricity] if they came to power. So, afterwards, tariffs will be automatically reduced.

The message of another CDM video-clip is the following: “United Georgia for Every Generation.” The main part of the advertisement is taken up by Giorgi Targamadze’s appeal to voters. “We are optimists,” “We will win over hopelessness and irresponsibility,” “We will build a united Georgia for every generation”… with similar optimistic slogans CDM’s leader promises voters that their children will receive a good education, parents will get jobs and retired people will have a decent later life. The advertisement finishes with the statement: “God Bless Georgia.”

Taking from the Rich, Giving to the Poor – Labor Party

“Taking from the Rich, Giving to the Poor” was Labor Party’s slogan for the 2012 Parliamentary Elections.

“Congratulations my dear people, we will win! We will win! We will take from the rich and give [wealth] back to the poor! God will save us! We are just starting!” Natelashvili stated in one of the video-clips.

The advertisement was made up of extracts from Shalva Natelashvili’s public speeches. During his statements the party leader mostly negatively spoke about National Movement’s leader Mikheil Saakashvili and his main rival Bidzina Ivanishvili. A journalist asked him in the ad “Why should voters vote for you?” and Natelashvili answered – “Because there is no other choice.”

In one advertisement of the Labor Party an extract from Shalva Natelashvili’s interview with Rustavi 2 is used where he speaks about Bidzina Ivanishvili. “Journalist: You wanted him [Bidzina Ivanishvili] to become prime-minister? Natelashvili: I wanted him to become prime-minister because I wanted him to defeat Saakashvili and prevent him from becoming president in January of 2008. It was 100% guaranteed that Saakashvili would not have become president in 2008 if Ivanishvili had joined the opposition. But what happened in fact?! He [Ivanishvili] supported Mikheil Saakashvili; gave him 45 million lari to fund his election campaign after the dispersal of November 6 peaceful demonstration! 45 million! His security officers' cars were driving around Chorvila polling station [Ivanishvili’s native village] with the number 5; look at the protocol and you will see that Saakashvili won the elections with 80% after November 7 in Chorvila. But he is lying to us now, telling us that he opposed Saakashvili then.”

It is noteworthy that Labor Party’s advertisements were not aired by Kavkasia and TV9 because the political party had boycotted them and refused to place its advertisement with those TV-companies.

“We are coming to serve you” Movement for Fair Georgia

Besides the aforementioned political parties, TV-Company Maestro also aired political advertisements of the movement for Fair Georgia which did not contain any election promises and did not try to attract voters with its text. “When well-known political leaders have exhausted all their efforts, when there is a lack of justice in the country, you must realize that you have to choose from more than two political powers; it is time to pass a fair decision and circle number 9 for a fair Georgia.”

Results of the research carried out by Caucasus Research Resource Center in 2011 showed that 80% of Tbilisi's population switches on the television to watch news. Outside the capital, 92% of the population names television as the main source of information about ongoing events. So, there is no doubt that advertisements have a serious influence in forming voters' opinions.

In addition to that, “Georgia’s Television Landscape”  published by Transparency International Georgia in 2012 states that in the first 4 months of 2012, the reported revenues of Imedi and Rustavi 2 decreased, compared to the same period of 2011. Smaller channels including Maestro, Kavkasia, and Channel 25 received significantly higher advertising revenues than in same period of 2011, largely due to political advertising of Georgian Dream.


This blog is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of Human Rights Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, USAID or the United States Government.     

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