Opposition to hold rallies in Tbilisi, without political speeches, during Pompeo’s visit

Georgian opposition parties plan to hold rallies on central Tbilisi streets without speeches by opposition leaders during the visit of the US State Secretary Mike Pompeo on November 17-18. 

A leader of the European Georgia opposition party Gigi Ugulava stated earlier today that opposition activists will hold posters with inscriptions claiming that the October 31 ‘parliamentary elections were fabricated.’ 

People will make chains on central avenues during the visit in line with coronavirus recommendations and will hold the posters,” Ugulava said. 

Pompeo is scheduled to meet with Georgian PM, president, foreign minister and the Catholics Patriarch Ilia II during his visit. 

Georgian opposition parties, who say that the parliamentary elections were fabricated, took to the streets following the release of the results which pointed to a ruling party victory. 

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The first meeting between the ruling party and the opposition after the elections took place yesterday with the mediation of foreign diplomats to address the current political crisis in the country. 

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Opposition parties are demanding repeat elections. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge. 

Representatives of the opposition said that one meeting ‘is not enough to solve such problems.’

The meetings will continue. 

The opposition is demanding repeat elections, the dismissal of the head of Georgia’s Central Election Commission Tamar Zhvania and the recomposition of the commission. 

The ruling party says that the elections were held in line with democratic standards and calls on the opposition to accept the election results. 

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Despite ongoing negotiations with the involvement of foreign ambassadors, the opposition parties say that they will not stop rallies in Tbilisi.

They say that a ‘large rally’ will take place in Tbilisi tomorrow, despite the country having recorded 3,473 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours.