Parliamentary Majority MP Calls for Compromise on Elections Date

A demand by thousands of protesters to hold parliamentary elections in April, instead of late 2008, as it was originally scheduled for the controversial constitutional amendments is ?legally and morally justified? and should be met, Guguli Magradze, a lawmaker from the parliamentary majority, said on November 4.

She said that she has launched collecting signatures of lawmaker in an attempt to have a relevant draft amendment to the constitution considered by Parliament.

?There are already some signatures and I call on other lawmakers from the parliamentary majority to join it,? MP Magradze said, however, she declined to specify both how many and whose signatures there were.

Signatures of about 112 lawmakers are needed to give a formal go-ahead to consideration of a constitutional amendment in Parliament.

MP Guguli Magradze also said that those lawmakers who have never been ?in a small group of leaders of ruling party? should help to resolve the current crisis.

?We should not leave President Saakashvili along in the hands of those few people who push him towards the confrontation,? she said.

These later remarks were made in a clear reference to those ruling party leaders, including an influential lawmaker Giga Bokeria, who are categorically against of any compromise about change of elections date.

MP Magradze pointed out that if this demand about change of elections date is met, protesters would remove their radical demand about President Saakashvili?s resignation.

Meanwhile, opposition has already welcomed the decision by MP Magradze. ?I hope others from the parliamentary majority will follow her,? Giorgi Khaindrava from the opposition group Equality Institute said.

MP Guguli Magradze first publicly broke ranks with parliamentary majority leaders last month when she described ex-defense minister Irakli Okruashvili as “a political prisoner.”

Meanwhile, the protest rally enters third day on November 4. Few hundred people spent the night outside the Parliament and more started to join protesters from the early morning. The demonstration is expected to be resumed at 2 pm local time.

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