Abashidze Tries to Conciliate with New President
Opposition Movement Demands Snap Elections in Adjara
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| Saakashvili and Abashidze watching the military parade in Batumi on January 25. |
New opposition public movement Democratic Adjara held its first congress in Tbilisi on January 27. The movement, chaired by Edward Surmanidze the member of the United Democrats party, led by State Minister Zurab Zhvania and Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, aims at “pushing the Adjarian leaders to carry out democratic reforms in the Autonomous Republic.”
Surmanidze says that the movement demands snap elections of the Adjarian legislative body – the Supreme Council, which is now totally under the control of Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze. The current Supreme Council was elected in highly suspected elections in 2002 for five year term.
Georgian media already speculates that State Minister Zurab Zhvania will try to deploy Edward Surmanidze as Aslan Abashidze’s heir.
Recently another opposition movement Our Adjara was established, which also demands democratic reforms in the Autonomous Republic. The movement was created mainly by the members of the Republic Party and the National Movement, which is led by President Mikheil Saakashvili. Our Adjara is rather radical and demands resignation of Aslan Abashidze.
Despite mounting protest movements in Adjara, Aslan Abashidze is confident that it will be difficult to remove him from power.
“It is not so easy to crumble my power,” Aslan Abashidze said, while addressing up to thousand supporters in the Adjarian capital Batumi on January 25.
Abashidze has already made some conciliatory signals hinting that he is ready for cooperation with the new leadership. Abashidze made a worm welcome to Mikheil Saakashvili, who arrived in Batumi on January 25 to attend the military parade, marking the presidential inauguration. Abashidze also removed the checkpoint, which was at the administrative border of the Autonomous Republic for last ten years.
“It was very symbolic to remove these checkpoints at Choloki [river, which divides the Autonomous Republic from the rest of Georgia],” Mikheil Saakashvili told reporters in Batumi after the meeting with Aslan Abashidze.
“We will do outmost to normalize relations between the central and regional authorities,” the President added.
The Adjarian television, which previously was giving totally negative coverage of the new leadership, broadcasted on January 25 the footage of Mikheil Saakashvili meeting with the local population of Batumi. “After the military parade President Saakashvili went into the crowed, which met him with cheers and applauses,” anchor of the news program of the Adjara TV described the footage.
However, the Adjara TV did not report the attacks on those people, who gathered in the streets of Batumi to meet Saakashvili. After the President left Batumi the police foiled the rally of the Abashidze’s opposition. The central authorities also preferred to keep silence.
Tamaz Diasamidze of Our Adjara said “it was not appropriate to heighten tensions in Adjara on the presidential inauguration day.”
Observers say that despite Abashidze’s conciliatory stance, the new government of Georgia will not permit any longer his unilateral rule in Adjara and will “try to remove him from power step by step.”
“Abashidze’s ouster is inevitable. The only question is how it will happen – will he leave the post as Shevardnadze did, or will he try to retain power with the radical measures?” political analysts Ivliane Khaindrava told Civil Georgia.
Political analysts say that Abashidze has nothing to lose and radical measures are more expected from the Adjarian leader in case of mounting street protests in Adjara. “It will be bad for the Adjarian population, but even worse for Abashidze himself,” Khaindrava added.
Holding of the snap elections of the Adjarian legislative body, demanded by the newly created Democratic Adjara movement, is seen as an alternative of the street protests. However, observers say, that securing transparency of elections will be of vital importance in this case in Adjara, which is notorious for ballot fraud.
Political analysts also say that even in case of snap elections transition of power in Adjara will be too protracted and meanwhile the central authorities will have to turn a blind eye of Abashidze’s unilateral rule, as it was during the previous authorities.