Press Scanner
Complied by Liana Bezhanishvili
Friday, October 16
Workers have not been paid for 8 months
Sakartvelos Respublica reports that workers at the military bases in Gori have taken part in a protest action, demanding 8 months’ wages from building company DTS. The workers say that the leaders of the company are avoiding meeting them and this has forced them to make this protest.
“If this action achieves nothing we will go to Tbilisi and hold a bigger one in front of the company’s office,” stated the protestors.
Irakli Alasania: I will not start consulting a crystal ball
Kvela Siakhle reports an interview with leader of the Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania.
“We have introduced our particular take on the current situation to the public and therefore I will avoid commenting on other people’s views of it. I am sure that most of the opposition have the same fundamental view that the main way to change the Government is through elections. It is natural that there are other views but I think that the public will not support them. I will not start consulting a crystal ball, everyone should do what they think is best,” states Alasania.
“We are ready to take part in the elections which have been appointed but we will take part only if the election environment is changed, if the media has more freedom and if the opposition have the possibility of conducting a visible election campaign. The main thing is that the police and law enforcement structures must not meddle with the election process.
“The Government has not kept the promise it made at the previous meeting on the election code. We did not receive a response to the suggestion we made to the Government then. By not going to the last meeting we indicated to the Government that it is responsible for keeping its promises. If nothing is changed and the Government does not make concessions we will not go to these meetings in the future either,” he stated.
Opposition divided over moving quickly or slowly
Versia writes that the situation within the opposition spectrum seems to have changed once again due to the latest political events. The opposition parties are again confused, not having a common policy or outlook.
The last Georgian Ambassador to Russia, Erosi Kintsmarishvili, believes that the Alasania and Burjanadze teams will soon feel the need to combine. “I have developed new expectations thanks to the Tagliavini Report. This described Saakashvili as the initiator of the war. You may have seen his speech on the BBC when a journalist directly asked him, “do you really think you will stay in power until 2013?” Discussion has begun within the opposition as to whether to try and destroy Saakashvili immediately or over time. There are different attitudes to this within the opposition,” he said.
“I was a serious lobbyist for primary elections which would choose a common opposition candidate before the Tagliavini Report was published, but now rapid change is expected by some. Another group sees greater personal and systematic gain in the long-term ruination of the regime, and these two groups are fighting each other,” Kitsmarishvili said.
“It is hard to say which direction each of the various opposition parties will go in. They are evaluating this now. The West has told us that it has given us a diagnosis of our problems in the Tagliavini Report but the treatment is our business, it is up to us whether we wish to have this person as President or not. As for me I will do my best to free the country from Saakashvili’s Government as soon as possible.”
Sakartvelos Respublica reports that workers at the military bases in Gori have taken part in a protest action, demanding 8 months’ wages from building company DTS. The workers say that the leaders of the company are avoiding meeting them and this has forced them to make this protest.
“If this action achieves nothing we will go to Tbilisi and hold a bigger one in front of the company’s office,” stated the protestors.
Irakli Alasania: I will not start consulting a crystal ball
Kvela Siakhle reports an interview with leader of the Alliance for Georgia Irakli Alasania.
“We have introduced our particular take on the current situation to the public and therefore I will avoid commenting on other people’s views of it. I am sure that most of the opposition have the same fundamental view that the main way to change the Government is through elections. It is natural that there are other views but I think that the public will not support them. I will not start consulting a crystal ball, everyone should do what they think is best,” states Alasania.
“We are ready to take part in the elections which have been appointed but we will take part only if the election environment is changed, if the media has more freedom and if the opposition have the possibility of conducting a visible election campaign. The main thing is that the police and law enforcement structures must not meddle with the election process.
“The Government has not kept the promise it made at the previous meeting on the election code. We did not receive a response to the suggestion we made to the Government then. By not going to the last meeting we indicated to the Government that it is responsible for keeping its promises. If nothing is changed and the Government does not make concessions we will not go to these meetings in the future either,” he stated.
Opposition divided over moving quickly or slowly
Versia writes that the situation within the opposition spectrum seems to have changed once again due to the latest political events. The opposition parties are again confused, not having a common policy or outlook.
The last Georgian Ambassador to Russia, Erosi Kintsmarishvili, believes that the Alasania and Burjanadze teams will soon feel the need to combine. “I have developed new expectations thanks to the Tagliavini Report. This described Saakashvili as the initiator of the war. You may have seen his speech on the BBC when a journalist directly asked him, “do you really think you will stay in power until 2013?” Discussion has begun within the opposition as to whether to try and destroy Saakashvili immediately or over time. There are different attitudes to this within the opposition,” he said.
“I was a serious lobbyist for primary elections which would choose a common opposition candidate before the Tagliavini Report was published, but now rapid change is expected by some. Another group sees greater personal and systematic gain in the long-term ruination of the regime, and these two groups are fighting each other,” Kitsmarishvili said.
“It is hard to say which direction each of the various opposition parties will go in. They are evaluating this now. The West has told us that it has given us a diagnosis of our problems in the Tagliavini Report but the treatment is our business, it is up to us whether we wish to have this person as President or not. As for me I will do my best to free the country from Saakashvili’s Government as soon as possible.”