Talks Resume on Public TV, Constitutional Amendments

The ruling party and opposition resumed on Tuesday talks on a new public TV board and on a number of planned key constitutional amendments.
 
Two separate groups of ruling party and opposition negotiators are holding meetings – one discussing the public TV board and the other constitutional amendments.

Levan Gachechiladze and Giorgi Khaindrava (both individual members of the nine-party opposition coalition) and MP Gia Torgladze of the Movement for United Georgia, also part of the coalition, as well as MP Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights Party, and MP Zurab Tkemaladze, leader of the Industrialist Party, are holding talks with Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze and MP Giga Bokeria from the ruling party on the public TV board.

Negotiators from both sides have refused to name their preferred candidates for the public TV board. Media sources, however, are reporting that the authorities would like the following: Kakha Kandelaki (marketing director of Eastern Promotion); Giorgi Chanturia (director of a Georgian animation studio and a frequent defender of the government on various political TV debates); Mikheil Chiaureli (film director); Bakur Sulakauri (publisher and outspoken government supporter); Paata Veshapidze (editor-in-chief of the Georgian daily 24 Hours ? he has also often featured on political talk shows with mild criticism of both the authorities and the opposition). 

Unofficial reports also suggest that the opposition favors the following candidates: Irma Sokhadze (a singer, who recently publicly criticised the authorities); Erekle Tripolsky (founder of Marao studio); Irakli Dokvadze (engineer); Nukri Kantaria (film director and member of the Georgian Academy ? a non-governmental group, which is an outspoken critic of the authorities).

If final agreement is reached, Parliament will be convened on February 26 to approve the new board.

A separate group of negotiators was also holding a meeting on February 26 to discuss planned constitutional amendments. The group includes Pavle Kublashvili, a lawmaker from the ruling party, Nika Gvaramia, the justice minister, as well as opposition politicians MP Kakha Kukava of the Conservative party; Davit Usupashvili, leader of the Republican Party; Irakli Melashvili of the National Forum and MP Mamuka Katsitadze of the New Rights Party.

Agreement seems close on constitutional amendments involving the reduction of the election threshold from the current 7% to 5%; changing the timing of the parliamentary elections to spring (apparently in May), instead of late 2008 and the abolition of the first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all system of electing majoritarian lawmakers (a replacement system, however, has not been agreed). The last two proposed changes were among 17 demands put forth by twelve opposition parties on January 29 in a joint memorandum.

The opposition is against an amendment aimed at extending the life of Parliament from the current four to five years.

Both groups of negotiators later came together to jointly discuss the public TV board. Talks are still ongoing.