Cooperation between the opposition Republican and Conservative parties, which will be reflected in the formation of a new parliamentary faction, is an attempt to create a meaningful alternative opposition force in the country, MP Davit Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said in an interview published on October 17 in the Georgian daily Rezonansi.
?We both – Republicans and Conservatives – are democratic political forces with a revolutionary background? Because the revolutionary authorities are worth nothing, the revolutionary opposition should become a beacon for the people,? MP Davit Berdzenishvili said.
The Republican and Conservative parties are former allies of President Saakashvili?s National Movement party who gained seats in the Parliament after the 2003 Rose Revolution. Both political forces quit the ruling party last year.
Parliamentarians from the Republican and Conservative parties announced last week that they plan to set up a faction in the Parliament, which will unite 8 MPs from the Conservative Party and 6 lawmakers from the Republican Party. The new faction is also expected to be joined by several other non-partisan MPs.
?These two parties will preserve their independence. It is most likely that we will create an election block on the eve of the local elections [in 2006] and this will become a democratic alternative for the country. But this does not mean that these two parties will merge,? MP Berdzenishvili said.
He also did not rule out future cooperation with other political parties. ?Time will show whether this will be a union of the entire opposition, involving the Labor Party, or not. The authorities passed a law [rule on electing the City Council] which prompted the opposition parties to cooperate. Naturally, the opposition will compete for taking first place in the elections. Actually, there are four leading opposition forces in Georgia. There are three in the Parliament [New Rights, Conservatives and Republicans] and the fourth one is the Labor Party,? MP Berdzenishvili said.
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