While Georgia’s military were getting ready for the parade to mark the Independence Day, the civilians were trying to count the chances of that celebration turning into a new outburst of the violent standoff between the authorities and the opposition.
Photo: Dmitry Lebedev
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Georgia’s Authorities Build Up One-Party Parliament
Georgia’s opposition confirmed past weekend the resolve to reject the MP credentials, signaling the country is under a threat of a new, this time parliamentary crisis.
The Rustaveli Avenue in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is closed. Starting from Iveria Hotel to the Liberty Square, the main street of the city is blocked by armored vehicles and new army Toyotas, each of which with a flag of Georgia streaming in the wind. Elite unites of Georgia’s Defense Ministry are marching in front of the parliament and a rostrum has been erected for the meeting. The ruling Georgia is holding a final rehearsal before the Independence Day.
The opposition is busy as well. In headquarters of the Republican Party, they are preparing to close ranks for the rally, which will unite all opposition.
Saakashvili can’t do without tanks, said one of Republican Party’s leaders David Berdzenishvili. Whenever the opposition calls rallies, it happens simultaneously with the demonstration of tanks and artillery mounts.
The parliamentary elections were rigged, Berdzenishvili is sure, reasoning the ruling party couldn’t have gathered 50 percent in the cities, where Saakashvili had got just 30 percent in the presidential election in January, as the party of Saakashvili is less popular than Saakashvili himself.
So far, the opposition has thought only of rejecting the parliamentary credentials as a method to challenge the election results. The leaders pledged late Friday they won’t enter the parliament but proceed to street rallies.
The United Opposition decided to show to all Georgia an example of struggle, of courage, said Levan Gachechiladze, who leads the opposition. According to Gachechiladze, they won’t get into the parliament, staying with the nation instead and calling on everyone to come to the Sport Palace for the rally May 26.
So, while Georgia’s military are training to parade during the Independence Day, the concern of civilians is probably to count the chances of that celebration turning into a new outburst of the violent standoff between the authorities and the opposition, the one similar to November 7 clashes.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 26, 2008
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