Christian-Democrats Offer Measures to Pave Way for Dialogue
MP Giorgi Targamadze, leader of Christian-Democratic Movement (CDM) and of the parliamentary minority group, has proposed number of measures that he said could help create conditions for a dialogue between the opposition and the authorities.
The seven-point proposal involves measures targeting judiciary; election commission; media and law enforcement agencies. The measures involve:
- Resignation of Chairman of Supreme Court, Kote Kublashvili;
- Resignation of Chairman of the Central Election Commission, Levan Tarkhnishvili;
- Rerun of Imedi TV to its legal owners – family of late tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili;
- Granting a license to Tbilisi-based pro-opposition Maestro TV allowing the station to broadcast through satellite;
- Replacement of the current board of the public broadcaster;
- Setting up of a five-member monitoring team through an agreement between the key political parties, which will monitor balanced and unbiased coverage of the developments;
- Setting up of a monitoring team through an agreement between the key political parties, which will consider complaints filed against the police over violations related with right of expression and free movement.
MP Giorgi Targamadze said at a news conference that “political crisis is moving to a deadlock” and signs of “defusing the tensions” were not seen.
“We, the Christian-Democrats, believe that the Georgian authorities should take these concrete steps in order to create real preconditions for launching a dialogue even with the most radical part of the opposition,” he said.
CDM has been keeping a low profile since April 9, when over dozen of opposition parties have launched street protest rallies to demand President Saakashvili’s resignation. Before the rallies CDM, however, has been calling on the opposition parties to give up radical stance and instead engage in dialogue with the authorities with moderate demands, arguing that such tactic would have been more productive.
In early March MP Targamadze said that there was neither need nor necessary resources for a new revolution in today’s Georgia.
“We also believe that Saakashvili is the major part of the problem, but our tactic differs from the one of radical opposition and the Saakashvili’s resignation does not top the list of our party’s tasks,” MP Giorgi Targamadze said in March. “We believe that it [Saakashvili’s resignation] is something, which will become irreversible result of those reforms, which should occur in the country.”
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