GPB Caves in to Gachechiladze’s Demand
The Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), reversing an earlier position, will allocate live airtime to the main opposition presidential candidate, Levan Gachechiladze.
Gachechiladze and some supporters protested outside the GPB twice in the last few days, demanding he be allowed to appear on live talk shows.
Tamar Kintsurashvili, GPB Director-General, on January 9 refused to yield, insisting the station would only air recorded messages of Gachechiladze. She said they would be aired in their entirity without being edited, but added that even this depended on them not “contain[ing] unconstitutional appeals.”
Later on the same day, the GPB climb down had already begun, with the station saying Gachechiladze could participate in a live talk show on Sunday evening. On January 10, Gachechiladze was invited to appear on the primetime news program later in the evening at 8pm.
The decision followed threats on January 9 by some Gachechiladze supporters, including his brother, pop singer Giorgi Gachechiladze, to go on hunger strike if the GPB refused to accept their demand.
Meanwhile, the nine-party opposition coalition, which backs Gachechiladze, is to hold a protest rally in Tbilisi on January 13. The coalition, as well as other opposition parties, refuses to recognize Saakashvili’s victory, claiming that a run-off is needed.
