Gamkrelidze: ‘West Pressures Authorities to Hold Early Parliamentary Polls’
Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights party, part of Alliance of Georgia, said on June 20 that “the west exerts serious pressure on the authorities to, at least, appoint early parliamentary elections” to resolve the political crisis in Georgia.
He has suggested that the series of arrests of opposition activists, including in the provinces, might be the sign that the authorities were taking measures in advance to deprive opposition of its powerbase on the ground in the provinces in case of the parliamentary elections.
Gamkrelidze said that head of the New Rights Party’s regional branch in Khobi, western Georgian region of Samegrelo, Edisher Jobava was arrested by the police on June 19 on charges related with drugs. The opposition Conservative Party said on June 20, that its chief activist in Khobi, Soso Keburia, was also arrested on the similar charges.
Davit Gamkrelidze called on the western diplomats in Tbilisi to help “to stop this repressive machinery and enable the opposition to continue its activities.”
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