Parliamentary Polls Amount to Run-Off – Opposition MP

Parliamentary elections this spring will effectively amount to a second round in the presidential election, MP Levan Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party, part of the nine-party opposition coalition, said on January 18.

Speaking on a Tbilisi-based radio station, Ucnobi, he said that gaining concessions from the authorities was now the major task of the opposition and this effort should in no way be perceived as “a deal” with the authorities.

“We are not fighting for government posts, although there have been indirect offers made by the authorities,” MP Berdzenishvili said. “What we are trying to do now is to secure firm guarantees for really free and fair parliamentary elections.”

He said having equal representation at all levels of election administrations was key in this respect. “We need parity in the precinct, district and central election commissions,” Berdzenishvili added.

“The struggle is not over,” he said, “We have achieved all the demands we have been pushing for since November 2 and even more,” he said.

He said many doors would be opened, if the opposition won in the parliamentary election. The investigation of the alleged falsification of the January 5 presidential election, he said, would be on the cards. “Even Saakashvili’s impeachment could be an option,” he added.