Opposition Calls for Campaign to Sack Interior Minister

Considerations are underway among parliamentarians from the opposition parties on how to force Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili to resign.

The opposition is accusing Merabishvili of “covering up” for those high-ranking officials from the Interior Ministry who could have links to the Sandro Girgvliani murder case.

MP Davit Zurabishvili, the Chairman of the Democratic Front parliamentary factions, which unites MPs from the Republican and Conservative opposition parties, told reporters on March 1 that there “is no reason to push the issue of Merabishvili”s resignation in the Parliament.”

“The parliamentary majority will not support this proposal anyway,” he said.

Leader of the opposition New Rights party, MP Davit Gamkrelidze, has already called for protest rallies.

“It will be most effective to hold protest rallies outside the Interior Ministry, State Chancellery, Parliament,” MP Gamkrelidze said on March 1.

“It is well known that the Georgian President pays great attention to public opinion,” MP Levan Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said on March 1.

“This [Interior] Minister can investigate only those crimes which he wants. Such a person cannot remain at this position for a long time,” he added.

But the the opposition also admits that it will not be easy to achieve this goal.

“Vano Merabishvili is not just a Minister… This is one of the strongest “power verticals” in the country. Mainly, two influential groups are linked to Merabishvili”s [power base]: one led by [MP Davit] Kirkitadze known as “young wing” of the [ruling] National Movement party and the other [group] involves [MP Giga] Bokeria, Gigi Ugulava [Mayor of Tbilisi], as well as [Kakha] Lomaia [the Minister of Education]. Both of these groups are influential because they are close to Merabishvili… So the resignation of Merabishvili will lead to collapse of this vertical, which was established over the past two yours,” MP Zurabishvili said in an interview with RFE/RL Georgian service on March 1.

“But if the society constantly pushes the issue of his resignation, Merabishvili will have to resign. [Koba] Bekauri [ex-parliamentarian from the ruling party] also did not want to quit the Parliament, but he had to [leave the Parliament] because of public opinion,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights, MP Elene Tevdoradze, met with President Saakashvili on February 28 and discussed the Girgvliani murder case.

“He [President Saakashvili] is absolutely sure that the investigation of this murder case will be over soon. I have not discussed the issues related to [the demands for the] resignation [of the Interior Ministry officials] with him,” MP Tevdoradze said.

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