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“Nestan Kirtadze accuses the National Movement of destroying Labor Party campaign materials”

Akhali Taoba carries Labor Party candidate Nestan Kirtadze’s accusations ruling that party members and police are destroying her party’s campaign materials in the city of Kutaisi:

“Campaign posters and pamphlets about Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili’s visit in Kutaisi were destroyed,” Kirtadze said.

According to her, Natelashvili was planning to organize a meeting in the center of Kutaisi on May 13, and the posters were about this event.

“Tearing our materials is a criminal act and should be punished,” she said.

Kirtadze added that the planned meeting would still take place.



“In the new parliament, the National Movement will be in the minority”

Rezonansi quotes leader of the opposition Traditionalists Union Akaki Asatiani, who says the opposition could wrest control of parliament if they unite for the May 21 election:

“I think that National Movement will be in the minority in the new parliament. If the Republican Party and the [nine-party opposition coalition] agree to establish a parliamentary republic, we won’t have any problem forming a coalition with them. We always welcome well-calculated and reasonable constitutional changes,” Asatiani said.



“Labor Party demands National Movement member Kakha Getsadze be dismissed from the electoral list”

Sakartvelos Respublika reports that the Labor Party is demanding the ruling party’s majoritarian candidate for Zestaponi district, Kakha Getsadze, be forced out of the race for bribing voters:

On May 11, Paata Jibladze of the party said during a briefing they would ask the court to remove Getsadze from the election.

As an argument, the party points to TV footage broadcast by local TV station Argo. It shows the majoritarian candidate giving GEL 200 to local Ekaterine Satseradze for her 100th birthday.

“[This is a legal violation] as majoritarian candidates do not have the right to give money to voters in the pre-elections period. We ask international organizations and the OSCE to pay serious attention to this. Besides this, we will sue Getsadze in court,” Jibladze said.



“Policemen take IDs from voters”

Akhali Taoba reports that Zaza Abashidze, the nine-party opposition coalition’s candidate in eastern Gurjaani district, has accused ruling party activists and local police of trying to confiscate IDs from local residents:

According to the local NGO Human Rights Center, the act of taking IDs from the inhabitants of the village of Vejini was followed by an incident.

The locals refused to give their IDs to the National Movement activists, and then they started to insult them which grew into a serious confrontation.

Ruling majority representatives of the Gurjaani headquarters categorically deny the story.