 Stephen Jones explains this by the fact that minority-populated electoral districts in general showed more irregularities which may indicate that the support for the UNM may have actually been lower than reported.Another explanation, may be that, owing to the highly Soviet-like voting culture in this region, the voters did not want to be seen as disloyal or that they had come under the influence of local ethnic elites who have enough power to sway voting practices.Since Georgia regained its independence in 1991, in addition to nationwide problems such as unemployment, many Azerbaijanis along with other minorities have faced social disintegration and underrepresentation in the country's legislative, executive and judicial powers, mainly due to the language barrier.