Opposition Leaders Comment on ‘Consultations’ with Tycoon

Leaders of the New Rights and Republican parties said that a statement by MP Giga Bokeria of the ruling National Movement party about ongoing consultations between the opposition and influential financial and media tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili is “an indication that the authorities are in a panic” on the eve of local self-governance elections.

MP Bokeria said on August 22 that opposition leaders are holding talks with Patarkatsishvili in London to receive potential financing for the election campaign and to convince Patarkatsishvili to be the opposition’s single candidate for the Tbilisi mayoral election.

“Yes I plan to travel to London… I have met with Patarkatsishvili and I plan to meet him in the future as well, so what? President Saakashvili also met Patarkatsishvili two months ago,” Davit Usupashvili, the leader of Republican Party, told Civil Georgia.

“This was a statement of a person [MP Bokeria] suffering from political paranoia, who wants to establish total control over everyone and everything and who tries to chase the opposition through the special services… We have to deal with extremely scared people [referring to the authorities],” he added.

Usupashvili also said that the Republican Party has never considered nominating Patarkatsishvili as a mayoral candidate.

Leader of the Conservative Party Koba Davitashvili told Civil Georgia that he never planned to visit London for talks with Patarkatsishvili, “but I will definitely do this after Bokeria’s statements.”

Speaking from Istanbul via phone with Imedi television, leader of the New Rights party MP Davit Gamkrelidze said that his party really wants to see Patarkatsishvili as the opposition’s single candidate for Tbilisi Mayor’s office.

“Bokeria’s statement proves that they [the authorities] are in a panic, they are afraid of Patarkatsishvili’s possible nomination,” MP Gamkrelidze said.

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