Opposition Threatens Boycott, Ultimatums
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| The parliamentary majority says the absence of 36 MPs will not hinder parliamentary sessions. |
If agreed on by all three opposition parliamentary factions – the Democratic Front, uniting lawmakers from the Republican and Conservative parties, New Rights and Industrialists – the memorandum will reportedly list demands related to the resignation of Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili and direct elections of city mayors. Some opposition parliamentarians insist that they should stop boycotting the parliamentary sessions only if their demands are met by the authorities.
There are a total of only 36 lawmakers united in these three factions. Their absence will not create any procedural problems for the remaining 188 MPs, mainly from the ruling National Movement party, to hold parliamentary plenary sessions.
On March 31, when three opposition parliamentary factions announced the boycott of the parliamentary sessions, there were no talks about setting an ultimatum for the authorities.
The parliamentary majority’s decision to strip Valery Gelashvili of the Republican Party of his MP credentials on March 31 became the formal reason for the launch of this boycott. The boycott went into effect on April 3 when the opposition lawmakers refused to participate in the sitting of the Parliamentary Bureau – the body which develops the Parliament’s agenda. Opposition MPs said they will only participate in sessions of the parliamentary committees.
Lawmakers from the ruling party, including Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, expressed concern regarding this decision and called on their colleagues from the opposition “to return to the Parliament chamber and to constructive parliamentary work.”
Statements by senior parliamentarians from the ruling party expressing concern about the opposition’s decision seemed to further inspire opposition lawmakers, and MP Kakha Kukava, of the Conservative Party and the member of Democratic Front faction, launched the development of a memorandum designed to outline the opposition’s joint policy over the boycott and set ultimatums for the authorities. Consequently, consultations were launched on April 4 between the opposition parliamentary factions in an attempt to agree on a final text of the memorandum.
Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze requested that the opposition lawmakers hold consultations over the situation; subsequently, Burjanadze held separate talks with MP Zurab Tkemaladze, leader of the Industrialist Party, on April 4 and MP Pikria Chikhradze of the New Rights on April 5. MP Kakha Kukava of the Democratic Front also met with the Parliamentary Chairperson on April 5.
The opposition says that the text of the memorandum will only be unveiled after it is signed by the opposition parliamentary factions.
“The memorandum should be ready by Tuesday [April 11], before the beginning of the parliamentary plenary sessions; however I do not rule out that it may be ready and signed earlier,” MP Zurabishvili told Civil Georgia on April 6.
Although opposition MPs say consultations about the memorandum are “constructive,” there have been reports of certain disagreements over the formulation of demands for authorities in the text of the document.
“The demand for Merabishvili’s resignation, which was on the [opposition’s] agenda even before the boycott, will be reflected in the memorandum by all means; however, I cannot say in advance in which form it will be made – whether it will be a separate demand or will be included in the preamble of the memorandum,” MP Zurabishvili said.
These consultations between the three opposition factions have also unveiled an persisting trend of alienation among the New Rights and Industrialist parties, two former political partners. The New Rights refused to hold face-to-face consultations with the Industrialist faction, so the Democratic Front acted as a mediator in the process of developing the text of the memorandum. Lawmakers from the Industrialist party quit the New Rights’ faction and created a separate parliamentary faction in February, 2006.
Other demands by the opposition might reportedly include the reorganization of the Interior Ministry, which, according to the opposition, has turned into “a monster” after merging with the Security Ministry, direct elections of city mayors and regional governors, as well as providing firm guarantees to hold free and fair local elections this autumn through an unbiased composition of the election administrations.
The lawmakers from the ruling party have already downplayed these demands as “unrealistic.”
“If the opposition puts forth constructive issues, we are ready to discuss all of them, but if they set an ultimatum, this will yield no positive results,” Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze told reporters on April 6.
“The Parliament will continue its activities regardless of whether the opposition boycotts the sessions or not. Of course, I will welcome the ceasation of the boycotting by the opposition… but if they [opposition] will not [cease their boycott] the Parliament will adopt those laws and ratify those agreements which are supported by the parliamentary majority,” Burjanadze said.
Influential parliamentarian from the National Movement party Giga Bokeria said on April 5 that the opposition’s decision to boycott the parliamentary sessions and to set ultimatums is a reflection of either their “political defeat” or proves that “the opposition is far removed from the political reality [than previously though].”
He also said that the opposition is again trying to launch attacks on the authorities over issues which have already been repelled. The rule on the indirect election of the Tbilisi City Mayor was approved by the Parliament last year, while President Saakashvili and the ruling party made it clear in March that they will not sack Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.
The opposition insists on Merabishvili’s resignation for his failure to investigate an attack against Valery Gelashvili last summer, who at the time was a parliamentarian, as well as for the Sandro Girgvliani high-profile murder scandal.