Translated material
Toast from the opposition
Georgia does not want to live according to tips from Moscow or Washington
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday congratulated his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili on Independence Day, proclaimed by the country's Menshevik government 90 years ago. The Russian leader spoke in favor of “constructive interaction between our countries in the interests of developing good neighborly relations, strengthening stability and security in the Caucasus.”However, the congratulations received did not soften the rhetoric of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili towards Russia. In yesterday's speeches, he again scolded Russian peacekeepers and accused Russian planes of shooting down Georgian drones over Abkhazia . In addition, Tbilisi said it would not allow Russia into the World Trade Organization until the new Russian president rescinds the previous president's April 16 decree establishing special ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The Georgian president's arrogance was enhanced by the victory of his supporters in the May 21 elections to the 150-seat parliament. However, Mikheil Saakashvili does not feel confident, since the opposition, which received only 30 mandates, does not recognize the voting results. Most Georgian experts agree that the elections did not become a model of democracy. “Rather, it was a large-scale operation of the state machine against the political opposition,” Georgian political scientist Shalva Pichkhadze told Vremya Novostei. - If we compare the situation in Georgia with the Russian one, then the opposition there is having a hard time too. But in Russia, against the backdrop of political restrictions, the social situation of citizens is not complicated. There are no such resources in Georgia.”
Yesterday morning, oppositionists called their supporters to a rally in the square near the Sports Palace. Then about 30 thousand people moved to Rustaveli Avenue, where at that time President Mikheil Saakashvili, in the company of a distinguished guest, the head of Poland Lech Kaczynski, was hosting a military parade. Taking into account the sad experience of “contact” between law enforcement officers and demonstrators on November 7, 2007, when 600 victims went to hospitals, and the crisis then demanded early presidential elections on January 5, Mikheil Saakashvili, and he is a great connoisseur of ceremonial events, responsibly shortened the parade time.
By the time the opposition began to occupy the avenue, the parade had already ended. “Saakashvili shamefully ran away from us,” opposition leader Levan Gachechiladze sarcastically declared at the rally, pointing to the presidential podium, which was not removed after the parade. Having occupied the avenue, the opposition began to decide what to do next. The attempt of some of its leaders, who have parliamentary mandates, to enter the parliament building was unsuccessful: on a holiday, all the gates were closed. And there were special forces on duty in the courtyard. Seeing the fighters in masks and with special equipment, the most emotional supporters of the opposition began to curse the law enforcement officers and even spit at them. Then the opposition leaders also behaved responsibly and took their people away from the special forces.
Mikheil Saakashvili said yesterday that he does not accept the opposition’s ultimatum demanding new elections: “In Georgia, everyone has the right to express their opinion, but ultimately everything is decided by society and the majority of votes. The ruling party received more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament, we respect the minority, but it, in turn, must respect the majority and the opinion of the people.” This meant that approximately on June 10, 120 deputies from the ruling United National Movement and, possibly, some of the “poached” members of opposition parties would gather in parliament for the first session. This is quite enough for work, even if the parliament is a one-party parliament.
But the opposition claims that it will not enter into dialogue with the authorities. Its leaders promised to form an “alternative parliament.” There is already a precedent for overlapping legislators in Georgia, since members of the 1990 parliament still consider themselves the “legitimate authority.” That parliament was forcibly removed along with ex-president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, and elections after the civil war took place in 1992.
Now the opposition has decided to mobilize its supporters on the day of the first session in June and not allow deputies into the building, and if necessary, “throw” them out of the hall. Levan Gachechiladze promised his comrades that Saakashvili would “run away again” from them. Yesterday, the oppositionist proposed to disperse and toast to victory and Independence Day. And another opposition representative, Koba Davitashvili, said that from now on “the fate of Georgia will be decided in Tbilisi, and not in Washington or Moscow.” The opposition is confident that Georgia has become a victim of geopolitical games. Therefore, OSCE observers numbering 550 people turned a blind eye to the violations that took place on May 21. “We are not going to play in a play staged by Saakashvili based on the script by Matthew Bryza (curator of Georgia at the State Department, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of the United States - Ed. ),” said the son of the first president of Georgia, Konstantin Gamsakhurdia, also a prominent oppositionist.