Press Scanner
Compiled by Messenger Staff
Wednesday, June 16
Noghaideli will work for opposition unity
Ex-Prime Minister and now opposition party leader Zurab Noghaideli states in an interview with Rezonansi, "Our task is not to attack the other opposition parties. We intend to establish a broad opposition union and it will be up to the parties whether they join it or not. The people should know what might change if we came to power. If anyone thinks that the resignation of Saakashvili is so important to the people that they will accept any alternative they are wrong.
"I do not know who might join this union. If the Republicans do not want to that is their choice. They are responsible for their own actions. If Nino Burjanadze joins I will not be against this. Our door is open for everyone. I also like Sozar Subari’s ‘New Georgian Idea’ and his opinions are acceptable for me," Zurab Noghaideli says.
"They have all had seen what they have gained by negativity. We should abandon this. It will be hard to form a union on the basis of ideological issues, so we should choose less controversial things to base it on. This union will not be easy to establish, and it involves people renouncing their personal ambitions for a while. We would have won the elections if we had managed to unite. We did not specifically ask Alasania to join us, but we wanted the opposition to unite. I have always had normal relations with Alasania, but each politician should decide which way they prefer," he adds.
"There are 3 key issues on the agenda – social and economic problems, the reunification of Georgia and democracy and fairness. Saakashvili and his regime are the major obstacle to resolving these problems. We need to establish opposition unity in order to resolve these questions. The moods of the public alone are not sufficient to remove the present Government," Noghaideli adds.
"We should spend our time establishing this union. Unprepared actions are inevitably unsuccessful. The essential thing is whether unity is established and whether it can begin the process of dissolving the present Government. Time is against Georgia – the longer Saakashvili is there the more we will fail," the former Prime Minister says.
Has Alasania left the Alliance?
Akhali Taoba reports that the Alliance for Georgia may split. According to released information Irakli Alasania is leaving the Alliance and he and his party will continue their political activities independently of the other Alliance parties. A statement to this effect is expected soon.
When Alasania made a statement on the day after the elections that he was starting a fight to force early Parliamentary elections he did not exclude doing this independently of the New Rights, Republicans and Way of Georgia. In this case, the first step in this process would be leaving the Alliance.
Saakashvili will now get rid of Ugulava, Burjanadze says
In an interview with Kviris Palitra Leader of Democratic Movement–United Georgia Nino Burjanadze talks about the recent local elections and says that the opposition congratulating the ruling party, acknowledging it won the elections and describing them as a step towards democracy is not beneficial for the opposition and very beneficial for the authorities.
Burjanadze adds that Saakashvili will eventually try to sink Ugulava. He wanted to do this before the elections but it was too risky then because Ugulava has support within the National Movement and the Liberty Institute, she says. If Ugulava is sunk there will be some problems within the ruling party but it is now less risky to act against him, Burjanadze says.
Ex-Prime Minister and now opposition party leader Zurab Noghaideli states in an interview with Rezonansi, "Our task is not to attack the other opposition parties. We intend to establish a broad opposition union and it will be up to the parties whether they join it or not. The people should know what might change if we came to power. If anyone thinks that the resignation of Saakashvili is so important to the people that they will accept any alternative they are wrong.
"I do not know who might join this union. If the Republicans do not want to that is their choice. They are responsible for their own actions. If Nino Burjanadze joins I will not be against this. Our door is open for everyone. I also like Sozar Subari’s ‘New Georgian Idea’ and his opinions are acceptable for me," Zurab Noghaideli says.
"They have all had seen what they have gained by negativity. We should abandon this. It will be hard to form a union on the basis of ideological issues, so we should choose less controversial things to base it on. This union will not be easy to establish, and it involves people renouncing their personal ambitions for a while. We would have won the elections if we had managed to unite. We did not specifically ask Alasania to join us, but we wanted the opposition to unite. I have always had normal relations with Alasania, but each politician should decide which way they prefer," he adds.
"There are 3 key issues on the agenda – social and economic problems, the reunification of Georgia and democracy and fairness. Saakashvili and his regime are the major obstacle to resolving these problems. We need to establish opposition unity in order to resolve these questions. The moods of the public alone are not sufficient to remove the present Government," Noghaideli adds.
"We should spend our time establishing this union. Unprepared actions are inevitably unsuccessful. The essential thing is whether unity is established and whether it can begin the process of dissolving the present Government. Time is against Georgia – the longer Saakashvili is there the more we will fail," the former Prime Minister says.
Has Alasania left the Alliance?
Akhali Taoba reports that the Alliance for Georgia may split. According to released information Irakli Alasania is leaving the Alliance and he and his party will continue their political activities independently of the other Alliance parties. A statement to this effect is expected soon.
When Alasania made a statement on the day after the elections that he was starting a fight to force early Parliamentary elections he did not exclude doing this independently of the New Rights, Republicans and Way of Georgia. In this case, the first step in this process would be leaving the Alliance.
Saakashvili will now get rid of Ugulava, Burjanadze says
In an interview with Kviris Palitra Leader of Democratic Movement–United Georgia Nino Burjanadze talks about the recent local elections and says that the opposition congratulating the ruling party, acknowledging it won the elections and describing them as a step towards democracy is not beneficial for the opposition and very beneficial for the authorities.
Burjanadze adds that Saakashvili will eventually try to sink Ugulava. He wanted to do this before the elections but it was too risky then because Ugulava has support within the National Movement and the Liberty Institute, she says. If Ugulava is sunk there will be some problems within the ruling party but it is now less risky to act against him, Burjanadze says.