ABSTRACT
The learning dimension of fraud and malpractice is useful in analysing the different strategies that incumbents adopt to minimise the risk of losing power in contested elections. This chapter relies on the definition of learning provided by Jack Levy, which describes learning as "a change of belief, skills, or procedures based on the observation and interpretation of experience". Georgia was one of the first countries to declare independence from the USSR in 1990 and after a difficult transition, Eduard Shevardnadze, the former first secretary of the Georgian Communist Party, served as president from 1992 to 2003. Despite its proximity to Georgia and many attempts to overthrow the government, Armenia never experienced an electoral revolution. While mass protests took place numerous times, they never successfully toppled the regime. Like Armenia, Azerbaijan did not experience an electoral revolution, despite many protests over the last two decades.
