Opposition against Holding Parliamentary Polls in March
The political parties, which are in the opposition to the new leadership of the country expressed protest regarding the authorities’ decision to hold repeat parliamentary elections on March 28.
“Regretfully, the authorities did not take into account our stance about appointing parliamentary elections on a later date. This is a great political mistake,” Pikria Chikhradze of the New Rights party said on January 9.
Irakli Gogava, the member of the former pro-presidential bloc For New Georgia, is also against holding parliamentary elections in March, saying that they will fail to create a competitive environment.
Jaba Samushia, member of the National-Democratic Party, also said that the early date for the parliamentary polls was inadmissible.
The opposition demanded holding of the parliamentary elections for May or June. The opponents of the new authorities fear that the early elections will lead to one-party system in the parliament, as president-election Mikheil Saakashvili’s party National Movement and the Burjanadze-Democrats, led by Nino Burjanadze, the Interim President and Zurab Zhvania, the State Minister, intend to form an election bloc.
Interim President Nino Burjanadze announced on January 9 that the repeat Parliamentary elections would be held on March 28, 2004.
The Revival Union, led by Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze unexpectedly agreed to hold repeat polls for March 28. Initially the Revival Union demanded postponement of the elections until June.
