TV Imedi announces emergency pre-election regime
Imedi TV says that the victory of Grigol Vashadze, the joint presidential candidate of 10 opposition parties, would be unacceptable. Photo: Imedi.
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Imedi TV channel has announced they will operate in a way so as not to allow the ‘old regime’ [referring to Mikheil Saakshvili’s United National Movement] to return to power.
We have experienced severe attacks under the United National Movement leadership and now we are changing the programme schedule to not allow the regime come back,” the Imedi TV announcement reads.
The Imedi TV leadership says that the presidency of the United National Movement candidate Grigol Vashadze is unacceptable for them, claiming Vashadze will pardon former President Mikheil Saakashvili, former Interior Minister Ivane Merabishvili and former law enforcement officials Data and Bacho Akhalaia.
The names are related to the criminal regime of the United National Movement,” Imedi TV says.
Imedi controls a private television channel and a radio company, which was founded by billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili in 2003.
The channel was most watched in 2007, during the opposition rallies against the UNM government.
In November of the same year the UNM government accused Patarkatsishvili of organising a coup and raided the TV channel.
After the death of Patarkatsishvili in 2008 former Economy Minister of Georgia under the UNM Giorgi Arveladze chaired the channel.
The Patarkatsishvili family was able to return the media outlet into their possession after the change of government in 2012.
"We received a clear message about our mistakes from our people, as well as about the expectations they have towards us regarding concrete challenges, the challenges which bother them and their families. We have seen much from the elections, we have seen that many things need to be changed in the shortest terms,” Bakhtadze said.
The presidential candidate of ten opposition parties Grigol Vashadze, who came second in the presidential race based on the current data of the Central Election Commission, says that it is no time for euphoria as the second round of the elections is still ahead.
3,689 of a total of 3,705 polling stations have been counted: the ruling Georgian Dream party supported independent candidate Salome Zurabishvili received 38.6 per cent of the vote and the presidential candidate of ten opposition parties, Grigol Vashadze, received 37.7 per cent.
Independent presidential candidate supported by the Georgian Dream ruling party Salome Zurabishvili says she is ready for runoffs at a briefing today.