Opposition says despite election deal with ruling party, one issue remains unresolved
The opposition is demanding the release of several of opposition leaders and members. Photo: IPN.
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Several opposition parties adopted a joint statement earlier today, after making an election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party yesterday, stating that despite the agreement on the 2020 elections, the ruling party and the opposition still fail to agree about the status of people ‘detained on political grounds.’
The opposition believes that the people are political prisoners which is denied by the ruling party. However, in yesterday’s joint document we agreed that the issue should be settled in a way that none of political parties have the feeling that justice is being used to achieve political goals,” the statement said.
The opposition has urged the president and all responsible state agencies to use all levers for the release of Gigi Ugulava, Giorgi Rurua, Besik Tamliani and Irakli Okriashvili.
To make the political process reliable and for the fulfillment of the election agreement it is important the people not to be returned to prison with the use of other cases,” the opposition said.
The ruling party says that there are no politocal prisoners in Georgia. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has denied the statements of the opposition that per the election agreement yesterday several opposition leaders will be released from prison.
No concrete decisions have been made concerning the individuals the opposition has mentioned. We have made a general agreement on the issue that justice must be free from political interference, which has always been the priority of the Georgian Dream government,” Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said.
President Salome Zurabishvili stated that the presidential pardon has its rules and ‘if I consider that Ugulava should be released, I will release him after familiarising myself with the case. Everyone is equal before the law and the rules equally touch all who requests pardon.’
The ruling Georgian Dream party has denied the reports of the opposition that per the election agreement yesterday several opposition leaders will be released from prison. Leader of New Georgia opposition party Giorgi Vashadze said that the opposition agreed with the ruling party yesterday that the leader of the European Georgia Gigi Ugulava, who has been convicted for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL state funds,
US Congressman Adam Kinzinger has welcomed an agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 elections, ‘applauding’ the efforts of all parties involved in the negotiations, ‘including Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze and the US Embassy in Georgia under Ambassador Kelly Degnan.’
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US Senators Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,and Jeanne Shaheen,a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, have welcomed a recent agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that making the deal will benefit the democratic development of the country.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite the recent election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
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Besik Tamliani, who stands charged with violence and disobedience to police during the June protests in Tbilisi last year, has been refused bail.
Twenty-six opposition parties and one independent MP have released a joint statement earlier today in which they urged the country’s foreign partners ‘to remind’ the ruling Georgian Dream party ‘how important it is to fully fulfil the March 8 election agreements’ with the opposition.
Transparency International Georgia has urged the Georgian Dream government to start discussions as to how to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn in a safe environment amid coronavirus-related restrictions.
Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has called on opposition parties to unite their election lists for the upcoming, October parliamentary polls in Georgia.