Party Funding to Resume after Budgetary Amendments ? Bakradze

Parliamentary Chairman Davit Bakradze said that state funding to political parties would resume after the parliament passes amendments to the 2009 state budget.

The opposition parties, eligible for the state funding, complained that they had not received funding for last two months.

Speaking at a parliamentary session on June 26 Bakradze claimed that funding was hindered due to delay in passing the amendments to state budget. He also said that delay was caused by hindering of work of the Parliament due to the street protest rally outside the legislative body.

“One of the key reasons why the budgetary amendments were delayed and why the parties did not receive funding for recent months, is picketing and blocking of streets by them, as a result of which no parliamentary sittings,” Bakradze said.

Funds to political parties are transferred by the Central Election Commission (CEC). Draft of budgetary amendments, submitted by the government to the Parliament, does not envisage any changes in the CEC’s funding.
 
Also at the June 26 parliamentary sitting, senior lawmakers from the ruling party made statements about a meeting of Levan Gachechiladze, an individual opposition politician, and Davit Gamkrelidze, leader of New Rights Party, with former interior minister, Kakha Targamadze, in Berlin.

In their remarks the ruling party lawmakers reiterated their allegations against some opposition parties claiming that they receive funding from Russia. Some of them recalled allegations about Gamkrelidze’s links with Kakha Targamadze when the opposition leader ran an insurance business in 90s. 

They have also called on Irakli Alasania, leader of Alliance for Georgia, which along with New Rights Party also includes Republican Party, to publicly state his position about the Berlin meeting.

Victor Dolidze, a close ally of Irakli Alasania, said on June 26, that Alasania would make the statement after he returns from the United States.

MP Jondi Bagaturia, leader of a small opposition Georgian Troupe party, told lawmakers from the ruling party that while recalling Gamkrelidze’s alleged links with Kakha Targamadze, they should also remember how Mikheil Saakashvili “thanked Kakha Targamadze for his contribution to hold ‘democratic elections’ back in 1999.” Saakashvili, who was at that time parliamentary majority leader thanked the law enforcement agencies for their efforts to secure holding of elections in safe environment and “preventing mass destabilization.”

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