18.05.2008 Georgia, Tbilisi. The Georgian opposition devised a new form of protest against vote fraud: The inscription on the masks reads “No new fraud!”
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev
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Georgia Covered its Head
// The ruling party and the opposition prepare for the voting
No new revolution for Georgia
Tomorrow Georgia holds parliamentary elections which may change the fate of the country turning it from a presidential republic into a parliamentary one. Kommersant special correspondent Olga Allenova watched the government and the opposition combat for the constitutional majority in the Georgian parliament.
“These elections will free us from Saakashvili”
There is a protest rally in the center of Tbilisi, near the premises of the parliament. Activists of the youth division of the Republican party have placed a huge billboard on Rustaveli Avenue which portrays Mikhail Saakashvili and his ministers sitting on the dock. Anyone can play the role of the judge reading the verdict: the judge has no head, instead there is a hole where the young republicans and passers-by can set their heads.
“These elections will free us from Saakashvili,” says passionately activist Luka Tsuadze and goes to the billboard to be photographed as “the judge of Saakashvili.” As he comes back, Luka continues, “Saakashvili has been permanently telling us that he has built good roads and that it’s a blessing that there is electricity in Georgia now. He’s been saying the same for four years! But he was actually elected to build roads and provide electricity! We pay taxes, and he must do that!”
“And what’s wrong about him?” I ask.
“After November 7 everything he does is senseless,” Luka says and shows leaflets of the Republican party with shots on them featuring the dispersal of the opposition rally November 7. “Casting your ballot for this party you choose to be treated with batons.”
In the streets of Tbilisi, you can see a number of cars with white flags streaming. There is number 7 on the flags and logos of some opposition parties. These are the flags of the united opposition, which consists of nine parties and whose number on the ballot is 7.
Automobile advertising is one of the peculiarities of this electoral campaign. Another one is that the amount of political ads has been reduced drastically. Opposition leaders make fun of it saying, “Misha decided that you’d better watch the Swan Lake ballet, not breaking news.”
“Commercials on TV are too expensive,” says David Usupashvili, leader of the Republican party. “As to billboards in the city, two months ago we were told that all places had been sold out. When Saakashvili was censured for this by European observers, he ordered that place be found in the city for the opposition’s billboards. They finally managed to find something, in the suburbs. But the key point is that the television, which is considered private, works like the first channel in the Soviet times. Three minutes out of 25 (a news block) is devoted to the opposition, and the rest of the time – to the great deeds of the ruling party.”
President’s new tactics
The ruling party has changed its electoral tactics drastically. You don’t see faces of famous politicians on the billboards urging that you vote for the “National movement.” Their places have been taken by unknown candidates; many of them have never been engaged in politics at all. The names of the leaders of the party in the parliament that common people disdain – Maya Nadiradze, Givi Targamadze and Giga Bokeria – are not mentioned on the billboards any more. They won’t be present in the new parliament. Opposition leaders believe that the government is trying to mitigate public sentiments stirred by the top politicians.”
“It’s no surprise,” says member of the ruling party, Head of the Parliamentary Committee for International Affairs Konstantin Gabashvili. “New young people are entering the parliament. Many of them are businessmen who have already proved themselves. And we, the older generation, are leaving. Both Bokeria and Nadiradze are tired of being on the cutting edge of political struggle. We’ve been even dubbed a “hatred group.” The government of the country decided to act reasonably and mitigate public sentiments, which is the right stance. And the opposition parties, on the contrary, are trying to disturb the masses making the situation as tense as it was during the presidential election. But it’s no longer possible. They have lost much. They don’t enjoy the confidence as they did in the past. Besides, many Georgians understand that if the country becomes a parliamentary republic, we’ll face a situation similar to that in Ukraine. The latest polls show that the “National movement” will gain 54% of votes. And the united opposition – 14%.”
Experts opine that the united opposition hasn’t managed to work out a common programme, which is the main reason for its awaited defeat. And after the Republican party, which is reputed to be the intellectual core of the opposition, quitted it, the chances of the united opposition sunk.
“According to my data, the ruling “National movement” ranks first,” says Head of the Gorbi sociologist center Merab Pachulia. “It is followed by the united opposition, the Republicans, the Laborites and the Christian Democrats. But even combined together, these parties will hardly have the parliamentary majority: their ideological platforms are diverse. The problem of the united opposition is that its campaign focuses on the propaganda of hatred towards Saakashvili. They have no other program except for hatred. It’s a road to nowhere.”
“I have no fear”
A column of demonstrators is going from the Palace of Sports to the Central Electoral Committee. They all wear kerchiefs with number 7 on them and white masks with an inscription “I have no fear” and “No new fraud.” The united opposition has prepared well for the voting – its symbols and slogans have become so popular that the young wear white kerchiefs even when there is no rally.
So we walk in the column to the premises of the Central Electoral Committee. Even children standing on the curb wave their hands and shout “Misha, go away!” You can see white ribbons and flags on the balconies.
“Take it,” says one of the demonstrators and gives a white mask to me. “We’ll soon topple the totalitarian regime, and this will be the only reminder of Misha.”
The building of the Central Electoral Committee, twined around with ivy, seems a sort of theatre center rather than the building of the Central Electoral Committee. Actually the Committee premises were situated in Rustaveli Avenue, but not long before the elections repair works were started there, and the Committee moved to the Saburtalo district, a little farther from Rustaveli. They say the government is afraid of new protests on Rustaveli, where November 7 the opposition rally was dispersed. The opposition takes advantage of this fact. Though they are ready to picket the Committee wherever it is located.
“We’ll come here at night, on May 21 and won’t leave the place till we win!” Givi Tortladze, opposition activist shouts in the microphone.
The people enthusiastically support him.
“We’ll simply block this building,” another leader, David Gamkrelidze, goes on. “And on the 22, in the afternoon it’ll be clear where the ballots were counted: in the Committee, or in the Internal Ministry. And then we’ll make a decision! Saakashvili’s regime is dying, and we can see its fits.”
The version that the Georgian Interior Ministry is holding the elections, is very popular. The opposition repeatedly appealed to the Central Electoral Committee and human rights activists claiming that the police pressurize voters into casting their ballots for the “National movement.” One case has been widely reputed recently. Head of a police department of the Mestiysk district made his subordinates swear to God that they’ll vote for the “National movement.” One of the police officers refused to do it, and he was fired. In the religious Georgia this case turned out a good anti-ad of Mikhail Saakashvili’s movement.
“Saakashvili, get out!” one of the opposition leaders Salome Zurabishvili shouts in the microphone.
The present slogans resemble very much those you could hear this winter before the presidential election and after it. But at that time more people took part in rallies.
Then Ms Zurabishvili starts speaking English. It’s for Mr Matthew J. Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, who is called the chief fraudster of the presidential election. She says that it’s high time for Americans to understand that their Mikhail Saakashvili project has failed, and they can’t back the breach of democracy.
“If they once again forge the voting, our slogan will be “Georgia without Saakashvili” again!” opposition activist Zviad Dzidziguri says and calls on his supporters to abstain from taking part in exit polls, which “pro-government bodies” will carry out on the election day. “Don’t give them a chance to justify the fraud.”
“We have proved that we are the winners,” Levan Gachicheladze, leader of the united opposition finally takes the floor. “The number of those summoned here is more eloquent than words. And if they don’t take it into consideration and forge the voting, we’ll take this fortress by storm!”
Some 10,000 or 20,000 people are taking part in this final pre-election rally of the opposition. They are inspired and excited.
They want Mr Gachicheladze to deliver another speech, but he says that it’s time they finished the demonstration not to provoke the government on the threshold of the voting. He says that the next rally will start on May 21, at 11 p.m. From this time on the opposition will stay in Tbilisi’s streets – till they win.
“It’s the end for Misha and his cronies,” an elderly woman tells us. She’s going to work as observer at her polling station May 21. “They won’t remain in power long after the voting.”
“Even if his movement wins?” we ask.
“It’s impossible, his victory won’t be fair,” the lady replies. “It’ll be fair only in case the opposition wins. And if they don’t allow for it, civil war will break out.”
As the people began leaving the venue, police officers went out of the Committee building. They walked together with demonstrators and smiled. The demonstrators smiled too and handed over their white masks to the officers. No civil war will break out, surely.
Olga Allenova
All the Article in Russian as of May 20, 2008
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