Opposition Consults on ‘Tactics’

Eight-party opposition coalition and New Rights party leaders met earlier on Wednesday to discuss their position amid two separate proposals on structure of the new parliament.

One proposal has been put forth by the opposition Republican Party, envisaging electing 75 majoritarian MPs in multi-mandate constituencies, instead of single-mandate constituencies. And another one has been proposed initially by the authorities and then by newly set up Christian-Democratic Party, envisaging increase of number of MPs elected through party-list, proportional system from 75 to 100 or 110.

Coalition and New Rights Party leaders – both groups are on the eleventh and tenth day, respectively, of a hunger strike – refused to give details of their talks afterwards. “We have discussed tactical issues, but I will not go further into details,” MP Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of the New Rights Party, told journalists after the meeting.

Judging from previous comments made by both groups, it is thought that they may agree on an increase in the number of MPs elected through the proportional system.

This proposal, however, is at odds with a 2003 referendum in which voters said they wanted to decrease the number of lawmakers from 235 to 150.

Davit Usupashvili, the leader of Republican Party has already warned other opposition parties against accepting the proposal, suggesting that it was “a political trick” designed to “discredit the opposition, as they [the authorities] will tell us we have disrespected the outcome of the [2003] referendum.”

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