Opposition Lelo, Movement for Building, New Rights announce cooperation
The leaders of a new oppositional coalition say they want to offer Georgian people an alternative to the current and former ruling parties. Photo: Mzia Saganelidze/Radio Liberty
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Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze’s new civic movement Lelo, former Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili’s Movement for Building and the New Rights party have announced the launch of political cooperation.
New Rights member Pikria Chikhradze, who was the political adviser of former President Giorgi Margvelashvili, said they made a decision to cooperate amid recent political tension in Georgia.
David Usupashvili noted that the three might be either partners or rivals at the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, as of now, they all aim to “change the bi-polar [political] situation” in the country by offering “a real alternative” to the current and former ruling parties.
We are united in the very solid belief that the country needs proportional elections”, Usupashvili stated.
Mamuka Khazaradze added as well that his civic movement Lelo was created with the purpose to counter the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the United National Movement (UNM) opposition.
The GD proposed bill to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections per a fully proportional voting system and a zero per cent threshold was scrapped on November 14, triggering protest rallies in downtown Tbilisi.
Today's meeting between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and opposition over the current electoral dispute, facilitated by foreign ambassadors accredited in Georgia, has ended without results. This was the first meeting between the opponents following the parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system.
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said it is important that there be dialogue "to move beyond the current impasse”. Appathurai said he felt “encouraged” by reports of an upcoming meeting between the government and the opposition over the issue.
Several opposition MPs from the European Georgia party have submitted statements regarding their exit from parliamentary committees amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the election bill on November 14.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party proposed bill on holding of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been scrapped as 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 voted for it. 141 of total 150 MPs have been registered for the vote earlier today. However, 37 abstained from voting and three voted against.
Political unity Lelo for Georgia has demanded the State Inspector’s office investigate the recent murder of 24-year-old Murad Tsurtsumia who died in an incident involving Interior Ministry employee Zurab Popkhadze.
The Lelo for Georgia centrist party, chaired by currently charged co-founders of TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, will not support same-sex marriage, a member of the party, ex-Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili has stated.
The Lelo for Georgia political party, created last year by the co-founders of TBC Bank Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, may cooperate with Georgia’s fourth President Giorgi Margvelashvili in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn.