Opposition lawmakers set ultimatum on April 7 in an attempt to, as they say, convince the authorities on “constructive dialogue” aimed at “defusing persisting political crisis” in the country.
Lawmakers from the New Rights, Industrialists and Democratic Front (uniting MPs from Republican and Conservative parties) refuse to attend the parliamentary session and parliamentary bureau sittings – the body which develops the Parliament’s agenda – unless the authorities meet their demands.
The opposition puts forth three demands, which are listed in a joint memorandum unveiled on April 7:
1. Reform of election system, involving composition of new election commissions by the representatives of the political parties on parity basis; development of transparent and accurate voter lists;
2. Direct elections of city mayors and regional governors;
3. Resignation of Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili (the demands which was included in the memorandum after the New Rights’ insistence); reorganization and decentralization of the Interior Ministry; disbanding of, as the opposition says, ‘punitive units’ at the Ministry, which are also closely integrated with the ruling National Movement party and which are used by the authorities for “persecution of political opponents.”
But the Industrialists parliamentary faction announced later on April 7 that they will add their demands to the memorandum to make the document “even tougher.” The Industrialists faction, which has a ambition to be a business lobby group in the Parliament, demanded improvement of business climate in the country and resignation of entire cabinet.
The Industrialists also say that their boycott might not refer to those parliamentary sessions on which economic-related issues, including amendments to the tax code will be discussed.
The entire cabinet will have to anyway resign in case of the Interior Minister’s resignation. But neither Minister Merabishvili, nor the ruling National Movement party show signs of stepping back against the background of the opposition’s ultimatum.
“Opposition has right to put forth certain demands, but I am going to continue fight against organized crime,” Vano Merabishvili told Rustavi 2 television on April 7.
“A great part of the opposition’s demands is absurd. I hope that next week they will appear in the Parliament chamber, but if this does not happen, I see no tragedy in it,” MP Davit Kirkitadze of the ruling party, who is a deputy chairman of the parliamentary majority, said at a news conference on April 8.
MP Davit Zurabishvili, the chairman of Democratic Front parliamentary faction, says the opposition “has no illusions” that all of their demands will be met by the authorities.
“But we should mount pressure on them [authorities] to agree on a dialogue [with the opposition]. If they are indifferent towards the opposition’s boycott, this boycott is closely watched by the international society and I think this is the best way for pressure [on the authorities],” MP Zurabishvili told Civil Georgia.
MP Koba Davitashvili, the leader of Conservative Party, said in a political talk show aired by the Imedi television on April 7 that currently the Georgian politics “is a game without rules.”
“We want to force the authorities to play with certain rules,” he added.
The opposition blames authorities for escalating political confrontation that triggered “a political crisis” is the country.
The document lists an attack against Valery Gelashvili of the Republican Party last summer, fist-fight in the Tbilisi City Council – Sakrebulo in December, the high-profile murder case of Sandro Girgvliani and the parliamentary majority’s decision to strip Valeri Gelashvili of his MP credentials on March 31, as examples of the violence exerted by the authorities, which brought “the political confrontation to its critical point.”
“The memorandum is about the recent political developments in the country. Valeri Gelashvili’s expulsion from the Parliament was the last drop that forced us to announce a boycott,” MP Pikria Chikhradze of the New Rights told Civil Georgia.
The opposition parliamentarians say that they are ready to launch a dialogue with the country’s top-leadership over the issues listed in the memorandum, meanwhile they reserve right to boycott sessions of the, as they put it, “ineffective” Parliament and bureau sittings.
The memorandum, which will be signed by all 36 lawmakers from the three opposition factions, will be offered to signing to non-partisan parliamentarians as well. The document will be sent to the President and the Parliamentary Chairperson on April 10.
