UNM plans pre-election provocations
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, September 6
A member of the current ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party says the United National Movement (UNM) opposition is actively planning to initiate pre-election provocations.
GDDG member Tamar Chugoshvili has addressed local and international observers to show “particular attention” to any of the incidents that could create threats to the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 8.
“The UNM, which will lose the elections and has no public support, sees its only chance and advantage in stirring provocations,” Chugoshvili said of the party which ran Georgia in 2003-2012.
“As far as I’m aware, they plan to stage provocations at our pre-election events, as well as using some other measures to somehow strain the pre-election period, which has been running peacefully since June 8,” Chugoshvili added.
Chugoshvili, who previously headed the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and also served as Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili’s advisor in human rights issues, voiced a special appeal to local and international observers registered to monitor the upcoming race.
“I appeal to you to show particular attention to incidents and cases that can somehow create obstacles for holding the elections in a peaceful environment,“ Chugoshvili said.
She also addressed GDDG supporters to be very cautious and not be provoked.
Chugoshvili reminded the political parties that holdingpeaceful elections was in the country’s interests and all political parties, and not only the Government bears responsibility for this.
Responding to the accusations, members of the UNM said the statement was “shameful”, especially coming from Chugoshvili, who had served as the head of one of the country’s leading NGOs.
UNM member Salome Samadashvili said the ruling party, which had no public trust and which would definitely lose the race, was trying to defame the UNM’s pre-election campaigning.
Samadashvili stressed the GDDG was afraid of the UNM, as only her party had a plan how to bring the country out of the current economic crisis.
