Saakashvili Hails Ruling Party’s ‘Renewal’

Welcoming new figures within the ruling party, President Saakashvili also acknowledged deeds of those from his party who, as he put it, served the country in the parliament for recent four years.

Speaking at his ruling National Movement Party congress in Tbilisi on May 3 President Saakashvili said the reshuffle of the party was needed to even better serve the country and noted that three-fourth the ruling party’s list of MP candidates was renewed ahead of the May 21 parliamentary elections.

In his speech, aired live by the Georgian Public Broadcaster, Saakashvili welcomed Davit Bakradze, the number one in the ruling party’s list, as “genuine and very interesting leader” and also acknowledged Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze’s role. Bakradze became key figure in the ruling party after Burjanadze announced she would not run because of disagreement over the party list.

“I want to thank Nino Burjanadze,” Saakashvili said, “because a tradition of compromise and dialogue, which was introduced by Nino, is the key attribute which should be preserved by the National Movement.”

“Continuation of traditions – this is the National Movement; continuation and strengthening of national traditions – this is the National Movement; renewal – let other parties compete with us in renewing the [party] list [of MP candidates]. This is the only party, which has been renewed; this is the party, in which three-fourth of people have been reshuffled. And I want to welcome these people, because we are one team,” Saakashvili said.

He also said that so far his administration had achieved “everything what we have promised.”

“Georgia without corruption, Georgia without clans, Shevardnadze and his groups, Georgia without feudalism and Aslan Abashidze,” he said. “But the key challenges are still ahead. We should pass the major test now. Everything what has been happening till now is the preparation for this major test. We will pass this test for the sake of our future generations.”

Saakashvili said that Georgia was on a frontline of “battle between good and evil.”

“Georgia is the flagship state of democracy in this region,” he said. “The future of entire Europe is being solved in our country. The future of freedom throughout the world is being solved here. It will be solved here, at the expense of our bravery and heroism, whether the world will go forward or whether it will fall under the reign of authoritarian regimes. We are witnessing the battle between good and evil and I want everyone to realize it very well, that the major frontline is here in Georgia. We are protecting the flag of good, we are protecting our future, but we are also protecting the dignity and prestige of the world, the future of the democratic world.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)