The messenger logo

Press Scanner

Compiled by Sopo Datishvili
Wednesday, March 25
Davitaia should not have been put in the delegation – Gogorishvili

Rezonansi reports that the Committee of Foreign Affairs has decided to substitute Paata Davitaia for Mikheil Machavariani in the EC Parliament delegation. Members of the Parliamentary Bureau were informed of this by the Deputy Chair of the Committee.

The Vice Speaker of Parliament explained that this decision was taken due to a political agreement. “We want as many political forces to be represented in European Council as is possible,” said Mikheil Machavariani.

This explanation has not convinced the head of the Committee of Procedural Issues and Rules. Khatuna Gogorishvili said that Parliament had already made some decisions about sharing out representational responsibilities between the various parties. Mikheil Machavariani belongs to the National Movement and thus can’t be replaced by Davitaia or any other member of a different party. “We have to make at least two resolutions before this can be done. The first should redistribute the representational quotas and the second one should appoint Davitaia as a member of the delegation,” Gogorishvili said.



9th Channel might return

Rezonansi reports that the head of the 9th channel, Irakli Tripolski, has responded to Georgian media reports that it might be allowed to broadcast again.

“We are going to hold consultations with specialists during the next two months. After this we will make up our mind whether to return or not. We will inform society of our decision immediately,” said Tripolski.



We need more experienced people, says Baghaturia

Alia reports that the leader of Georgian Troupe, Jondi Baghaturia, has demanded an increase in the minimum age of judges to 30. He says his political group aims to raise it to 35 in future.

Representatives of the Young Lawyers’ Association recently demanded the same thing at a meeting of the Judicial Committee. Baghaturia is also working on a bill which will raise the minimum age of the President to 40, as he feels the country must not be governed by an inexperienced politician.

“The initiative about raising the minimum age of judges already exists. We shouldn’t have judges so young. As for the idea of a Constitutional Monarchy, this sounds out of place to me, as Saakashvili will still go in 2013. If we ask for a Parliamentary Republic now, we will get Saakashvili as Prime Minister anyway,” said Jondi Baghaturia.



Guguli Magradze accuses Rustavi 2

“The Georgian Women’s Party will cooperate with Rustavi 2 only in an on air regime to protect itself from provocations,”- stated its leader Guguli Magradze at a press conference on Monday, Sakartvelos Respublika writes.

Magradze said that the new Alliance for Freedom, which includes four parties, had been invited to appear on the Position programme, but in the end only the leaders of the Traditionalists, the Freedom Party and the Party of the Future were asked to send representatives, not the Women’s Party, the fourth partner in the Alliance. The Alliance’s leaders knew nothing about this.

“The leader of the Christian Democratic Movement, Giorgi Targamadze, was invited instead of the Women’s Party leader,” stated Magradze, who called this a provocation planned by the Government and stated that the channel is under the Government’s influence. “The influence is plain and the Women’s Party will cooperate with Rustavi 2 only in an on air regime,” Magradze said.



Does the Georgian Government have special equipment for cracking down on the 9 April rally?

One of the Georgian Republican party leaders Irakli Batiashvili has stated that he has credible information that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has recently acquired a lot of special equipment it will use to disrupt the planned protests on April 9, Sakartvelos Respublika writes.

According to Irakli Batiashvili special units are being prepared. The main demand of the demonstrators will be President Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation.

The Movement for United Georgia’s Secretary General Eka Beselia has stated that the Government has acquired special equipment from Turkey to break up the demonstrations with.