Parliament Faces Modifications In Autumn

The Resonance

The Resonance overviews political crises in Georgia and talks about future disagreement in both parliamentary majority and minority.

The supreme legislative board will hold its first autumn session tomorrow. Head of the Parliament Zurab Zhvania will open the session. Harshness of the speeches made by leaders of oppositional factions very much depends on the dialogue between Shevardnadze and Abashidze, the newspaper presumes. The dialogue took place in Batumi. The President of Georgia and head of the Supreme Council of Adjara Autonomous Republic are thought to have spoken about the parliamentary and governmental crisis in Georgia.

The parliamentary majority is divided in parts by the beginning of autumn session. There is a divergence in the opposition also. Vakhtang Rcheulishvili, Vice Chairman and leader of the faction Socialist, blames head of the faction Traditionalist Akaki Asatinai in having deals with the Parliamentary Chairman. Mr. Rcheulishvili considers that in case of the deals the united opposition will in fact face splitting.

Mr. Asatini denies thoughts about his alliance with Mr. Zhvania. He said he holds negotiations with the Parliamentary Chairman concerning the delay of local self-governance elections and institutional changes only. 

Parliamentary majority member Vasil Maghlaperidze admits the existence of crisis in Parliament. “Transitions taking place in the majority are similar to those in the opposition. There are to micro parliaments created in the Georgian legislative board nowadays. One is controlled by the President and a regional leader controls the other one (leader of Adjara Autonomous Republic is meant here). Corruption unites these two micro spheres”, Mr. Maghlaperidze told the Resonance. He said that institutional modifications are to be implemented in Georgia as soon as possible otherwise the crisis will never be over and it would be impossible for the country to develop.

The Traditionalists, the Entrepreneurs and the reformative wing of the Citizens’ Union will form a new coalition in autumn, Davit Berdzenishvili, leader of the Republican Party, presumes. He thinks the coalition will be effective and will represent the opposition of President Shevardnadze.

One more political party was formed during the parliamentary and governmental crisis. The party is called the Unity. Its head is Jumber Patiashvili and its co-head is Aleksandre Chachia (see 07.09.01 Media Digest). Ideology and political direction of the party is unknown yet. According to the parliamentary majority members, Chachia is a currier of those Russian forces that have unhealthy attitude towards Georgia. But the corruption widespread in the country is the most serious base for Russia, Mr. Maghlaperidze considers.