Politics Tense as Opposition Rallies

After the failed talks with the State Minister Avtandil Jorbenadze over the composition of the Central Election Commission (CEC) on June 2, opposition leaders hold a mass protest rally in downtown Tbilisi in front of the Parliament on June 3.

On June 2 President Shevardnadze called the street protests “an attempt to create a guided chaos in the country” and called the opposition and the population to refrain from hitting the streets. However opposition leaders claim that the protest rally remains the only way “to force the government to conduct fair and democratic Parliamentary elections” scheduled for November 2.

Supporters of the opposition started to gather in front of the Parliament from early morning on June 3, together with the large number of policemen, which will try, as they say, “to prevent anticipated destabilization.”

On June 2, representatives of the United Democrats, New Rights, National Movement, Traditionalists and People’s Party established the coordination council. All five parties plan to participate in ‘forewarning’ protest action in front of the Parliament’s building on June 3. However two other major opposition parties – the Labors and Revival refuse the take part in the rally.

“We will not allow the government to falsify November 2 elections. We will act jointly for this purpose. We will develop our tactics to achieve adoption of the [new] Election Code,” Mamuka Giorgadze, leader of the People’s Party told Civil Georgia.

“Creation of the coordination council was not an idea of a single party, this was a joint decision. We’ve been preparing for this for quite a long time. Although this does not mean creation of an [election] alliance, number of members might increase in the future,” said David Gamkrelidze, leader of the New Rights party.

“It is early to say whether we’ve been able to really unite. This is not an organization, created around a particular goal. However, we will join our efforts in fight for democratic elections,” Vasil Maghlaperidze, member of the United Democrats, told Civil Georgia.

Peaceful rally on June 3 in front of the Parliament is opposition’s first joint action. The opposition members say that it is imperative that government sees that the people will not allow for falsification of the elections, using the existing election legislation.

The opposition decided to resort to street protests after several months of unsuccessful negotiations with the government on reforms of the election system.

In his Monday radiobroadcast on June 2 President Shevardnadze expresses readiness to negotiate with the opposition, to avert street protests. He also suggested the Parliament to solve the main issue in the dispute between the pro-governmental and opposition sides – composition of the election commissions.

“Such important issues can not be solved in streets. I am counting on wisdom of my people. We all have regrettable experience of previous attempts to solve such issues in streets. Therefore, I believe that society will not want the similar situation to occur again in the country”- President said in Monday Radio Interview on June 2.

The government’s fear of street protests is understandable. Last time when opposition hit streets in protest of Security forces clampdown on independent Rustavi 2 company in November 2001, the government was forced into resignation.

The opposition leaders say that June 3 rally may only be a beginning. In case the government does not make any compromise over the rule of composition of the CEC they say larger-scale protest rallies will rock the country starting June 17.