Press Scanner
Compiled by Londa Mindiashvili
Monday, May 18
Election threshold should be reduced
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the Movement for Fair Georgia is demanding that the election threshold is reduced to 2 percent. Its leader Zurab Noghaideli stated this at a press conference at which the leader of Christian Georgia talked about his party’s decision, to ally itself with Noghaideli’s. The two leaders also stated that the election administration should in future be staffed on the principle of parity.
The current election threshold is 5 percent. Parties achieving a smaller percentage of the vote cannot be represented in Parliament.
How will pro-Government television stations justify not reporting the rallies?
Alia writes that Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV will not report what happens at the ‘Corridor of Shame’ the opposition has established outside the Georgian Public Broadcaster as an act of solidarity with the station. Both broadcasting companies announced this three days ago.
The opposition have already organised shame corridors in front of the GPB building four times. GPB journalists say that any act which prevents journalists from doing their job is inadmissible. However, “All these television stations are run by Gigi Ugulava,” stated Salome Zourabichvili, the leader of the Way of Georgia.
Georgian Public Broadcasting has also announced that its information service will not report the protest actions and shame corridors in front of the GPB building. “We consider what is happening in front of the GPB is an insult and a violation of journalists which is undemocratic and unjust,” the statement said.
Georgians in London hold protest action
Alia reports that while Nika Gilauri, the Prime Minister of Georgia, was speaking at the Chatham House conference a protest was taking place outside. Georgians living in London and members of Badri Patarkatsishvili’s family held the protest to express their solidarity with the people in Georgia at the present time. According to the protestors the present Government is leading Georgia to destruction.
Nika Gilauri went out to meet the protestors and explained to them that the Government had offered the opposition concrete proposals which would help the country overcome the crisis and was ready for dialogue.
Rallies will be held on May 20 in Batumi and Kutaisi
Alia reports that the protest action organisers have made applications to the Mayors of Batumi and Kutaisi to hold protests there. They say that they intend to hold demonstrations from 10 am till 11pm on May 21 at Agmashenebeli Square and on Abashidze Avenue in Kutaisi and from 10 am till 11pm on May 20 on Baratashvili Street, Gamsakhurdia Street, Irakli Abashidze Street and Europe Square, in front of the Cinema Tbilisi, outside Shota Rustaveli State University and outside Ilia Chavchavadze State Theatre in Batumi.
Sakartvelos Respublika writes that the Movement for Fair Georgia is demanding that the election threshold is reduced to 2 percent. Its leader Zurab Noghaideli stated this at a press conference at which the leader of Christian Georgia talked about his party’s decision, to ally itself with Noghaideli’s. The two leaders also stated that the election administration should in future be staffed on the principle of parity.
The current election threshold is 5 percent. Parties achieving a smaller percentage of the vote cannot be represented in Parliament.
How will pro-Government television stations justify not reporting the rallies?
Alia writes that Rustavi 2 and Imedi TV will not report what happens at the ‘Corridor of Shame’ the opposition has established outside the Georgian Public Broadcaster as an act of solidarity with the station. Both broadcasting companies announced this three days ago.
The opposition have already organised shame corridors in front of the GPB building four times. GPB journalists say that any act which prevents journalists from doing their job is inadmissible. However, “All these television stations are run by Gigi Ugulava,” stated Salome Zourabichvili, the leader of the Way of Georgia.
Georgian Public Broadcasting has also announced that its information service will not report the protest actions and shame corridors in front of the GPB building. “We consider what is happening in front of the GPB is an insult and a violation of journalists which is undemocratic and unjust,” the statement said.
Georgians in London hold protest action
Alia reports that while Nika Gilauri, the Prime Minister of Georgia, was speaking at the Chatham House conference a protest was taking place outside. Georgians living in London and members of Badri Patarkatsishvili’s family held the protest to express their solidarity with the people in Georgia at the present time. According to the protestors the present Government is leading Georgia to destruction.
Nika Gilauri went out to meet the protestors and explained to them that the Government had offered the opposition concrete proposals which would help the country overcome the crisis and was ready for dialogue.
Rallies will be held on May 20 in Batumi and Kutaisi
Alia reports that the protest action organisers have made applications to the Mayors of Batumi and Kutaisi to hold protests there. They say that they intend to hold demonstrations from 10 am till 11pm on May 21 at Agmashenebeli Square and on Abashidze Avenue in Kutaisi and from 10 am till 11pm on May 20 on Baratashvili Street, Gamsakhurdia Street, Irakli Abashidze Street and Europe Square, in front of the Cinema Tbilisi, outside Shota Rustaveli State University and outside Ilia Chavchavadze State Theatre in Batumi.