Lelo leader Khazaradze: I’ll move to Tsalenjikha, assist newly appointed opposition mayor
Lelo leader announced his decision while delivering his speech at the opposition rally in the city of Zugdidi last evening. Photo: Mamuka Khazaradze's Facebook page
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The leader of the Lelo opposition party, Mamuka Khazaradze, has said that he will move to the western Georgian town of Tsalenjikha, and assist the newly appointed opposition mayor.
Khazaradze announced his decision while delivering his speech at the opposition rally in the city of Zugdidi last evening.
Tsalenjikha is a town of freedom, and I congratulate all its residents… I will move to Tsalenjikha and buy an apartment soon. I will stand by the newly appointed mayor of Tsalenjikha and use all my experience to turn Tsalenjikha into an oasis, Khazaradze said.
Khazaradze further called on businesspeople to transfer their companies’ accounts and leave their profits in Tsalenjikha.
Khazaradze, who is a co-founder of JSC TBC Bank in Georgia, entered politics in 2019, shortly after he was charged with laundering 16.7 million USD along with his business partner, Badri Japaridze.
Tsalenjikha is the only town in Georgia where the opposition candidate from the United National Movement (UNM), Giorgi Kharchilava, won over the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) candidate, Goga Gulordava, in the 2021 mayoral elections.
The opposition won the majority in municipal assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities: Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki.
The Lelo opposition party has been able to re-create a faction in parliament as the MP from the United National Movement - United Opposition election bloc Dilar Khabuliani decided to join.
The opposition European Georgia party has presented its vision of overcoming the current political crisis in the country, stating that the solution lies in the defeat of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party via snap elections.
The city assembly members elected in the 2017 municipal elections approved the 2022 municipal budget in Zugdidi and Batumi earlier today prior to the convening of new city assemblies which were elected in recent, October municipal elections.
Founder of the Lelo opposition party Mamuka Khazaradze says that Georgia is ‘facing existential threats,’ from Russia and pro-Russian forces in Georgia, and states that a ‘powerful national platform’ should be created which will ensure the presence of the US military in Georgia, a rapid signing of a free trade agreement with the US, and the adoption of a lustration law to reveal spies of enemies in the public service.
The Georgian parliament has suspended the MP status of Lelo party founder Mamuka Khazaradze and leader of the Girchi-More Freedom opposition party Zurab Japaridze earlier today with 79 votes in the 150-member state legislature, per their request.
Lelo opposition party leader Mamuka Khazaradze has officially requested parliament earlier today to suspend his MP status to ‘continue the fight on the street’ for the annulment of the recent municipal election results.
The Lelo - Partnership for Georgia faction, composed of seven opposition MPs, has boycotted parliament's plenary sessions until arrested former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, is brought to a civil clinic to receive ‘proper medical care’ after a 33-day hunger strike.
The opposition has won the majority in city assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki. GD head Irakli Kobakhidze stated that ‘the majority will be formed on the basis of negotiations with the members of the city councils,’ in municipalities where GD lost the majority, noting that ‘work on the issue has already started successfully.’
One of the leaders and a co-founder of the Lelo opposition party, Mamuka Khazaradze, says that he will demand the suspension of his MP status to ‘continue the fight on the street’ for the annulment of the recent municipal election results.
The official results of the Central Election Commission (CEC) for the 2021 municipal election run-offs in Georgia show that the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party mayoral candidates have won in 19 municipalities, while the opposition United National Movement (UNM) contender has won in just one. Incumbent Tbilisi mayor and candidate Kakha Kaladze from the GD took 55.6% of the votes over the UNM’s Nika Melia, with 100% of the votes counted.
The Georgian interior ministry has launched an investigation after the car of the mayor of north-western Georgia’s Tsalenjikha municipality was found burning during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.