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Opposition Ready to Rally Every Day
// An opposition rally draws thousands in a march to the Georgian parliament
Opposition supporters gathered outside the Georgian parliament on Sunday in the first rally after the emergency rule was lifted in the country. About 30,000 people got back to the spot where authorities dispersed an opposition rally on November 7 to demand a fair election and the return of the Imedi TV channel. “If authorities fail to ensure freedom of speech, we will be rallying every day,” opposition leaders promised. Kommersant’s Olga Allenova and David Gamtsemlidze report from Tbilisi.
The rally in Rike Square began at two in the afternoon. Opposition leaders went up to the stage hand in hand and lifted them up to welcome the packed square. The crowd cheered in response. People were holding posters “Free Imedi!” and “We Remember November 7!” Big posters with picture of the riot police who were clubbing people with truncheons said: “All of them are Saakashvili”. Leader of the united opposition Levan Gachicheladze who won a special cheer exclaimed with joy: “He’s gone!” The square applauded to support the resignation of President Saakashvili.
The president told the new government on Saturday that he is standing down and handing powers to Parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze. Deputy Speaker Mikhail Machavariani will take over the parliament from Mrs. Burdzhanadze. The session was televised live, and everyone got the message the president was trying to get through: he was leaving just for a while. Mr. Saakashvili was busily giving the last orders to the ministers – to take wood to a village or build a school in another one. He said he would be watching for their job “through a magnifier” throughout January 5, which was a hint that he would be hard on those who had not tried hard enough when he is back in office following the election. Refugees Minister Koba Subeliani gave him an assurance: “I’m going to be working so that if the people is not happy, they would say it to me, not you, Mr. President.” Mikhail Saakashvili liked the phrase and said that all ministers should work in this manner.
The president also said that Abkhazia is still getting militarized as the election in Georgia is approaching and instructed the government to “monitor all the challenges against Georgia in this period”. Mr. Saakashvili expressed a concern shared by all officials who are afraid that Abkhazia may attack the upper part of the Kodori Gorge using the pre-election turmoil in Georgia. The Georgian army in the west of the country was put on alert last week. It would be easier for them to have a move from this region if something happens in upper Abkhazia.
After this not very optimistic point the president said he is confident of a landslide victory in the election and left the building.
Rike Square, however, was convinced that he was going to lose. Some were mocking the president. “Saakashvili was going around Georgia buying votes,” Koba Davitashvili, leader of the People’s Party, said from the stage. “He promised you not to take away the loggias you added to your houses, promised to give you back the garages you’d lost. He raised your pensions and salaries. Take the whole lot of it! If the National Movement will be buying your votes, take the money – and vote for us!” The suggestion was met with a burst of laughter and applause.
“Imedi will be opened today or tomorrow,” Giya Tortladze, leader of Irakly Okruashvili’s Movement for United Georgia, said. “It is your victory. Let everyone see that the people can’t be defeated. There will be more of us than on November 2, because we are right. If Saakashvili knew history, he would understand that after November 7 there would be three times as much people here!”
“Right!” the square shouted. “We won’t let them beat us!” Almost all of the speakers talked about one thing. Georgia’s freedom-loving people was not scared by sapper’s digging tools of the Soviet military under the command of Gen. Radionov who dispersed a rally here back on April 8, 1989. The people were not scared of tear gas and truncheons of Mikhail Saakashvili who “doesn’t learn from history”. Opposition leaders called him “Misha Radionov” – and everyone started laughing. The speakers threatened that if Imedi is not opened, rallies will be held every day. They also said that God would help them on January 5, so they could meet the Orthodox Christmas “without Misha”.
The new presidential residence was seen above Rike Square, at the edge of the hill, with its glittering cupola which was built to somewhat copy Reichstag. People were throwing fists in the air and saying threats to the cupola. “You’re no president any more!” they shouted to the cupola. “You’re gone!”
Opposition leader Dzhondo Bagaturiya said that Mr. Saakashvili has a too tender way of talking to Messrs. Bagapsh and Kokoity but “speaks to his people with the language of tear gas”. The phrase went well with the crowd. Many Abkhazian refugees attended the rally as they became disillusioned in Mikhail Saakashvili who promised that they would be able to return to Abkhazia. Now they wanted another president to promise them the same thing.
These people did not notice that the president said in his address to the nation at a session of the National Movement on November 23 that he would not be waiting for the endless peaceful settlement for the Abkhazian conflict. He lashed out at the opposition Republican Party whose activists are ready to throw themselves under the tanks not to let these tanks in to Abkhazia. He asked: “Maybe, all of us should become part of Russia?” Once he heard a weak “no”, he gave a decisive shout: “Then, let’s go ahead! To the victory!” Some Georgian experts viewed this statement as an open urge to the war for Abkhazia. Opposition, however, called it a PR stunt but also hinted that Abkhazia should be retrieved as soon as possible.
Conservative Party leader Zviad Dzidziguri said in a booming voice: “Misha’s over!” The square readily picked up the phrase and started shouting: “Misha’s over!” “We don’t want Saakashvili’s death,” Mr. Tortladze specified. “Let him live.” “Let him live but in prison!” the radical part of the rally shouted.
Deputy Koka Gutsnadze reminded everyone of the important role of Irakly Okruashvili who “tore the mask from Saakashvili’s face, and everyone understood who the president is”. Other opposition activists and Okruashvili’s numerous supporters spoke about the former defense minister. They urged for the freedom for Imedi and the return of Badri Patarkatsishvili who “should address the nation”.
Another speaker, Kakha Kukava, shouted: “Levan Gachicheladze for president!” and the square started to shout “Le-va-ni! Le-va-ni!” Another opposition leader Giya Tortladze did not like this: “Just remember how we used to shout: ‘Misha! Misha!’” Everyone burst out laughing because he was right. Almost all opposition leaders on the stage did the Rose Revolution together with Mikhail Saakashvili four years before. And almost everyone who went to this square were at Freedom Square on November 23, 2003, ready to fight for the new authorities. Presidential candidate Gachicheladze also asked not to shout his name and suggested another word – “Georgia!” “Sakartvelo! (in Georgian) was the demonstrators’ response. “We’ve had enough of dictators,” Levan Gachicheladze said. He called on acting President Nino Burdzhanadze to open Imedi and ensure a fair election campaign.
It was not just an urge. Opposition knows well that Mrs. Burdzhanadze is not as radical as Mr. Saakashvili, and it hopes that she will make some trade-offs. But President Saakashvili in his last address to the nation called the parliament’s speaker Steel Lady, comparing her to Margaret Thatcher and lauded “her enormous contribution” to the country when she “did not waver before the opposition” in early November and did not enter talks to re-schedule the parliamentary election. They say that Mrs. Burdzhanadze was flattered by these words, and the president has reportedly secured himself her unflinching support in the election campaign. But opposition is not going to flatter Mrs. Burdzhanadze. “We will sack Burdzhanadze too!” Levan Gachicheladze promised.
After than Giya Tortladze urged everyone to go to the parliament. The march was sanctioned by the city hall, and Mr. Tortladze was only worried that the demonstrators would behave peacefully and give no reason for authorities to use truncheons. “We will reach the parliament, light candles at the Church in Kashveti to commemorate the victims of the November 7 rally and go home!” he said. “But if authorities do not open Imedi, we will come back here!”
When the crowd moved, it became clear that opposition had drawn at least 25,000 people or even more. They were walking on the road. The police cut the traffic, and the demonstrators were shouting to the drivers: “Why are you not with us? Are you scared? We are not! Where is their riot police?!” As the demonstrators were passing the city hall, they shouted to the officials: “If you’re men, come out and join us!” This is the way they were moving on Rustaveli Avenue to the parliament.
“Public television is lying,” Giya Tortladze said. “They say it’s only 3,000 of us. Get your hands up and show them how many of us are here!” Rustaveli Avenue turned into a forest of hands. There were no fewer of them than on November 2. “We have now voted for our candidate with these hands!” opposition activists exclaimed. Everyone lit candles at the nearly Church in Kashveti and went back home with one phrase: “If they don’t hear us, we’ll have to rally on Wednesday again.”
Olga Allenova and David Gamtsemlidze
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 26, 2007
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