‘State Employees Under Pressure Ahead of Polls’ – MP

State employees, including public teachers, are under pressure from their bosses to vote for President Saakashvili, lawmaker Guguli Magradze said on November 20.

“Several employees of [state agencies] have personally told me that they were asked to fill in a form confirming their support for President Saakashvili. Otherwise, they are told that they will have employment problems,” Magradze said in Parliament.

Magradze was recently booted out of the ruling party after adopting independent positions on several issues.

Nino Burjanadze, the parliamentary chairperson, said in response that such pressure, if true, would be only counterproductive.

“If such actions really take place, they should be immediately eradicated, because these people should understand that this type of action only irritates people,” Burjanadze said. “I do not rule out that there might be some activists from the ruling party who are doing this in an attempt to prove their loyalty towards the authorities.”

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