Parliament Convened for Crucial Decisions

Parliament, elected in 1999 elections, was convened today to approve the issue of holding new presidential and parliamentary elections. 158 MPs are attending the session.  

“I will do my best to secure free and fair elections,” Nino Burjanadze, acting President of Georgia said, while addressing the Parliamentary session.

“Today’s session is of crucial importance. I urge you to cooperate in order not to disappoint people. I urge you to lead the country to the new parliamentary and presidential elections,” Nino Burjanadze said.

“I want to thank Georgian people. Society chose democracy and this is irreversible process,” she said.

Burjanadze also called for calm and order. “Civil disobedience is over. I call every one who tries to act illegally to act in accordance with the law. We should do our best to maintain order,” Burjanadze said.

Leader of the National Movement Mikheil Saakashvili, who was a key person curing the bloodshed revolution, called on the MPs of the old Parliament to attend the Parliament’s first session two hours before the Parliament was convened.

“We together need to find a common language and reach a consensus. Non-attendance of the session means new confrontation in the country. Those, who do not come to the session, should assume the responsibility for creation of constitutional crisis in the country,” Mikheil Saakashvili said at a news briefing on November 25.

The previous Parliament members should approve holding of the new parliamentary and presidential elections within 45 days, as considered by the constitution.

The Revival and Socialists parliamentary factions boycotted the session.