Opposition Parties protest against food price rises

The Conservative Party and the People’s party held another protest rally on Monday. Together with street vendors, the representatives of the two parties protested against the “price rises on essential items.” One of the leaders of the conservative party, Lasha Chkhartishvili said that in the week since banning the sale of goods in the streets, the price of food and essentials has “significantly increased.”

“This is directly linked with the government’s corrupt goals and the ban on street trade,” Chkhartishvili said at the rally. “The Conservative Party and the People’s Party demand that the government lift the ban on street vendors and give them normal conditions for work. We also demand the creation of a state anti-monopoly agency, in order to defend the rights of vendors, as well as of consumers,” the Conservative Party official announced. He suggested that establishing an anti-monopoly agency will ensure fair and balanced competition. “In this way artificial price increases of food and essential items will be ruled out,” Chkhartishvili noted.

The previous rally of IDPs and street vendors, organised by Conservative Party and People’s Party representatives ended in a clash with the police. The demonstrators, who marched from the Presidential Palace to Parliament demanded the registration of alternative dwellings for the IDPs living in Tbilisi and the legalisation of street vendor activities in the capital. Two activists, one of them of the People’s Party and another of the Ara (No) Movement were briefly arrested and fined for administrative misdemeanours.

The next protest rally of the IDPs is scheduled for August 25 in Mziuri Park. A joint rally of street vendors and the IDPs will be held on August 26 outside the Presidential Palace.