In spite of the fact that a sudden death of the president has not left to candidates a lot of time for preparation, current election campaign nevertheless pleases with some  positive signs.

          First, all three candidates have presented programmes of development of Abkhazia. Let's remember that during the last elections one  presidential candidate Beslan  Butba spent  lots of money on his program,  others managed  without these small trifles. This time programs were quite comprehensive though their financial basis   often  was   uncertain.  But we can’t get all at once. Next   elections we will insist to confir  the promises by figures.

          Candidates have signed a gentlemen's agreement at the pre-election period. Not all have kept their word, but some behaved quite worthy.  Who knows, we will live that long blest times when candidates will not search for spies in each other, and begin to surprise the voters with honesty and nobleness of  their manners.

 

          All three candidates have agreed to hold TV debates, and only a car accident with Sergey Shamba hindered   laying the foundation of this tradition.  But then all three candidates and their vices stood up in live broadcast,  and spectators could  ask impartial questions.  In short, democracy blossoms and smells. However, neither very clever questions, nor very clever answers practically appeared – on the whole it ended with a draw, friendship has won! 

 However, none of our politicians are capable to answer   voters' and journalists' questions straight and to the point. All leave somewhere for a jungle and they do not  always get out of it, then  what obe can  say about listeners, lost in a triple jungle of pre-election flood.

 

          Several days before elections the Minister of Internal Affairs has given a press conference.  He has declared neutrality  an this was unexpected as before   such thoughts have never entered the Ministers' of Internal Affairs  heads!

 

          The  work of the central election commission is being improved too. Thus, in the presence of representatives of staffs   ballots have been printed and sealed up. Probably, in the  century of computer frauds it is not an absolute guarantee from them, but nevertheless  it is a step to progress. I will remind that in the neighbouring Russia yet they have no transparent ballot boxes for bulletins having  been used in Abkhazia  for the last  7 years.

 

          To be honest, it is indistinct that  yet the voters' lists have not been brought in ideal order as the representatives of some staffs as usual are not satisfied with them. Meanwhile, as the experts assure, it is not complicated to solve this problem – it is necessary to bring all data into the computer database, and  an appropriate  program quickly will reveal doubles and other discrepancies. Eventually, Abkhazia is not so large and it is possible to check 130 and more thousand of voters for a couple of months even by hand. And after that it will be more difficult to speak about falsification. 

Nadezhda Venedictova