Opposition MP highlights “unclear goals and agenda” behind UNM’s April 9 rally
Samadashvili called the scheduled protest UNM’s “party rally” and said Lelo would not feature in the demonstration. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Salome Samadashvili, an MP for the opposition Lelo party, on Thursday called the purpose of the rally scheduled by the opposition United National Movement party in Tbilisi on April 9 “unclear”.
Samadashvili called the scheduled protest UNM’s “party rally” and said Lelo would not feature in the demonstration.
To tell the truth, it is unclear to me what the purpose and the goal of this rally is. Obviously, the Lelo party is not going to participate in the UNM party rally, the demands and agenda of which are still completely unclear”, she said.
The rally was announced earlier this month by UNM Chair Levan Khabeishvili, who said his party was giving the Government time until April 9 to implement the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status or face protests.
Some opposition figures have since announced they will not be present at the protest.
Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Citizens opposition party, criticised the coinciding of the demonstration with an anniversary of the April 9, 1989 violent dispersal of peaceful protesters in Tbilisi by Soviet forces, and also said it was “unacceptable” for him to join the likes of Vano Merabishvili, the former Interior Minister in the UNM Government and now an opposition figure, at “any rally”.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the opposition United National Movement party’s boycotting of the Parliament was “incompatible” with goals of implementation of the European Union conditions for granting the country its membership candidate status.
Thea Tsulukiani, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia, on Friday said it was “up to the European Union and not the domestic opposition” to set deadlines for the implementation of the bloc’s conditions for granting the country its membership candidate status.
Khatuna Samnidze, an opposition MP and the Chair of the Republican Party, on Thursday said the demand for snap elections by a part of the domestic opposition was “wrong and a political short-sightedness”.
Aleko Elisashvili, the leader of the Citizens opposition party, on Thursday said he would not join the rally scheduled by a part of the domestic opposition in central Tbilisi on April 9 due to its connection to the United National Movement opposition party.
The leaders and supporters of the United National Movement party are currently gathered at a rally in front of the Parliament building in central Tbilisi.