Opposition Calls for Rally on Independence Day

Davit Gamkrelidze, the leader of New Rights Party – part of the nine-party bloc – said the coalition planned a protest rally on May 26 – the Georgia’s Independence Day, when the authorities plan a military parade.

“We plan and call on our supporters to gather outside the Sport Palace at 10am on May 26, when imposter Saakashvili’s military parade is planned,” Gamkrelidze said. “We will then march towards the Rustaveli Avenue.”

Sport Palace is located few kilometers away from the Rustaveli Avenue, where the military parade is planned to mark Georgia’s Independence Day.

Speaking in a live late-night political talk show, Primetime, aired by Rustavi 2 TV on May 22, Gamkrelidze then said that the march towards the Rustaveli Avenue “would take place if people at the rally decide so.”

“We will gather at the Sport Palace and take decision together with people weather to go there [to Rustaveli Avenue] and salute our army or not,” he said.

Gamkrelidze said that one of the options to challenge “the bloody, aggressive, criminal and the most fraudulent elections ever held in Georgia” was to boycott the Parliament.

“We are not recognizing results of these elections and we are not going to legitimize these elections, so our representatives at the Central Election Commission will not vote for approval of the final vote tally,” Gamkrelidze said. “This parliament should not be convened and we will do our best to achieve repeat elections.”

He said that boycotting of the new parliament was “seriously considered” within the opposition coalition, but also added that further consultations were needed between the parties within the bloc, as well as with other opposition parties.

Projections, based on the early official results, show that the ruling National Movement Party will have constitutional majority in the new parliament, which is two-third of seats in the 150-member legislative body.

Shalva Natelashvili, the leader of Labor Party – which has according to early results over 7% of votes said his party would also boycott the new parliament if all the other opposition parties did the same.

The third party, which managed to clear the 5% threshold and endorse MP candidates in the parliament, is the Christian-Democratic Party.