Tents for their own: Georgian opposition tries to ignite Maidan
The Georgian opposition is trying to ignite a Maidan in the center of Tbilisi. After another rally, opponents of the authorities pitched tents and spent the night in the city center. In the coming days, the heat of passions will probably increase, because in a week the first session of the new parliament is to be held. "Izvestia" looked into the situation.
Protesters set up tents in Tbilisi
The political crisis that began after the parliamentary elections held in late October continues in Georgia. On Saturday, November 16, when the country's CEC gathered for a session, another scandal occurred. The matter is that an opposition member of the Election Commission David Kirtadze poured black paint on the head of the CEC Giorgi Kalandarishvili. "You are not a chairman, but just a black stain," Kirtadze shouted afterwards.
The session was interrupted but later resumed, eventually the CEC announced the final results of the parliamentary elections. According to the released data, the ruling Georgian Dream party won with 54% of the vote. Four opposition forces also passed the five-percent threshold, none of them gaining more than 11%. Thus, the ruling party received 89 mandates out of 150, i.e. a comfortable majority.
Against this background, the Georgian opposition held another protest on November 17. Several columns of protesters were going to march from different points of Tbilisi to eventually meet at the parliament building on Rustaveli Avenue. One of the columns, however, stopped near the Tbilisi State University (TSU), where the leaders of the protesters announced that they were changing their tactics and were becoming more active.
Thus, Nika Gvaramia, representative of the "Coalition for Change" said that the disgruntled will occupy the square for at least 24 hours. "It's over with the walking, the walking, the noise-gam, it's over! We're taking back the homeland, we're shutting everything down! We don't have time for anything else. There will be no traffic on this highway, and no traffic on other highways. Purposefully, systematically, peacefully, we will take our country. We are ready for everything, we are doing everything to go freely to Europe," he said.
After these words, activists set up about 20 tents near TSU, organizers distributed tea, coffee, hot food and warm blankets to their supporters who stayed overnight. Judging by photo reports, the activists warmed up by round dances and singing songs, burning bonfires and watching movies from a projector. Traffic on neighboring streets was paralyzed, and police watched but did not intervene.
The opposition turned to the EU for help
Meanwhile, the political process is going on as usual, and after the election results are approved, the first session of the new parliament is on the agenda. It is scheduled for November 25, and it is expected that the deputies will immediately approve the renewed composition of the cabinet and the government's action program for the next four years. "We have an ambitious task before us, which is reflected in the government program. In four years we must bring our country to a completely new level of development," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced.
The protesters expect to increase pressure on the current authorities and undermine the legitimacy of the future parliament by November 25. For this purpose, they are closely watching to make sure that no opposition force enters the legislative body and keeps company with the ruling party. "Any association that enters the parliament will become a servant of Bidzina Ivanishvili and will sign the verdict of its disappearance," says former president and one of the leaders of the Strong Georgia coalition Giorgi Margvelashvili.
The opposition is most suspicious of the For Georgia coalition, which received 8% of the vote, i.e. 12 mandates. It is headed by Giorgi Gakharia, who served as Prime Minister during the Georgian Dream government, has no warm feelings towards Mikheil Saakashvili and his followers, and has spoken more softly about the outcome of the current elections than others. The ruling party, however, says that the new parliament will work in any case, as the Georgian Dream has won the majority and therefore can make decisions alone.
In addition, the opposition expects to increase street activity. Thus, the leader of the Unity coalition Giorgi Vashadze stated that by November 25 he plans to "regain his homeland" through rallies. According to him, it is time to accustom supporters to "a slightly different protest", including overnight stays. Vashadze also called for holding rallies not in one place, but in different locations in Tbilisi and other cities. In turn, the representative of "Strong Georgia" Mamuka Khazaradze proposed to create an alternative parliament with President Salome Zurabishvili as honorary chairman.
At the same time, Imedi TV channel published a letter sent by the opposition leaders to the foreign ministers of the EU countries. The message says that Brussels should recognize the elections as invalid and establish a commission to investigate violations and "external interference" in the electoral process. The opposition also believes that the EU should declare the new parliament illegitimate and emphasize once again that Georgia's European integration is frozen.
According to the TV channel, the opponents of the ruling party have also demanded that the EU terminate all relations with the current Georgian authorities, including postponing the meeting of the Georgia-EU Council, suspending high-level political dialog and freezing technical cooperation. Another wish is to redistribute financial aid, i.e. to give €120 million not to the government of the country, but to a special fund that sponsors pro-Western NGOs and NGOs.
At the same time, the ruling party says that the opposition with the help of protest actions harms not the authorities, but the whole country. "In the coming week we will see the last flutterings of the bankrupt political clan. They are doing everything to organize maximum escalation, with one simple goal - so that Georgia gets more negative assessments from the EU. This once again shows the treacherous nature of the radical opposition" - said MP Maia Bitadze.
What experts say
Political scientist Archil Sikharulidze believes that the Georgian opposition is acting chaotically and cannot actually organize a Maidan.
- Representatives of the United National Movement and other opposition forces are in a deep crisis, because the Georgian Dream won the elections, this fact is confirmed by the CEC and many polls. In such conditions the opposition is trying to aggravate the situation, but there is no strength and resources for this. As a result, we see spotty, sporadic speeches - they hold a rally, or put tents on the square. All this creates infoprovocations, but does not pose a real threat to the authorities. It seems to me that the main addressee of this violent activity is external forces, the citizens of Georgia are mostly just annoyed by it," he says.
Shota Apkhaidze, a political scientist and expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that the opposition is systematically moving toward its goal of breaking the current system and seizing power.
- Opponents of the Georgian Dream have managed to agree that they will not enter the parliament. They continue to look for some forms of protest and try different options. However, they have few opportunities inside the country. But much can be decided by the position of the European Union. If the EU responds to the appeal of the opposition, then the situation of the Georgian Dream will really worsen and I do not rule out holding snap elections. If the EU remains aloof, the opposition will have no chance," he believes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
