Opposition Leader Concedes Victory to Ruling Party

Leader of the opposition New Rights party MP Davit Gamkrelidze congratulated the National Movement party on their victory in the October 1 MP by-election and said that this victory cost ?millions of Lari? to the ruling party.

?I want to congratulate the National Movement and personally [President] Mikheil Saakashvili. But in actuality there is nothing to celebrate for the ruling party, which spent millions of Lari in the election campaign in the Isani [single-mandate constituency] alone and apparently even more in the Kobuleti [constituency],? MP Davit Gamkrelidze said.

?On the other hand [these elections] were marked with widespread problems related to the voter lists,? MP Gamkrelidze added, who said that thousands of voters were absent from the voter lists.

He also said that if all these problems will be solved by the next elections, ?I assure everyone that the National Movement will not be able to win the elections any more.?

By-elections were held in the Adjarian towns of Kobuleti, Batumi and Shuakhevi; the western Georgian town of Tkibuli and Tbilisi?s Isani district to fill five vacant seats in the Georgian Parliament. The ruling party?s nominations won the elections in all five constituencies.

The National Movement party?s MP nominations were competing with four opposition parties – New Rights, Conservatives, Freedom and Labor Party – which banded together and chose single candidates for each of the constituencies through primary elections.

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