Nine-Party Opposition Jubilant over Public TV Reform

Several thousand people, many of them wearing the opposition’s trademark white scarves, spilled across the street outside the public TV on January 15, blocking traffic for some time. Photo: InterPressNews

Leaders from the nine-party opposition coalition described proposed reform of public TV as “first major success” and vowed to press for more “concessions” from the authorities.

Speaking at a rally outside the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) on January 15, opposition leaders told several thousand supporters that the government climb-down was just the beginning. Nino Burjanadze, the acting president, said on January 15, that the authorities and the opposition had agreed on the creation of a new board of trustees of the GPB that would be set up “through agreement between the authorities and the opposition and to a certain extent on a parity basis.”

“I want to congratulate you; the public television is back in the people’s hands,” Levan Gachechiladze, the nine-party coalition’s presidential candidate, told supporters at the rally. “I will be interviewed live by the public TV tonight at 10pm.”

“The government is step-by-step making concessions on the issues we have been pushing for. Today the authorities have made a concession on the public TV. But don’t think that we are making concessions. We are still pushing for our major demand: a second round in the presidential election,” MP Gia Tortladze of the Movement for United Georgia said.

“The first major step that we have forced self-styled [President] Saakashvili to take is to give up the public TV,” MP Levan Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said at the rally. “I congratulate you on this first small, but important victory.”

“We continue to fight against the violence that is Mikheil Saakashvili – the self-styled president, who is an illegitimate president,” Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of Freedom Party, said.

“Today the Georgian people are taking back freedom of speech,” Koba Davitashvili, leader of Party of People, said. “Major struggles, however, are still ahead. Changing the current Central Election Commission and the judiciary are needed; these would be guarantees for a free and fair second round in the presidential election.”

Giorgi Targamadze, a former anchor and head of Imedi TV’s political programs, who earlier said he would establish a political party, also appeared at the rally outside the GPB. He told protesters: “This is a concrete success, which was made possible through the unity of the people; this is the first tangible success, which the united opposition has brought to reality.”