UNM against moving Parliament back to Tbilisi
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, October 21
Georgia’s main opposition party, the United National Movement, thinls the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia (GDDG) party is going to move Parliament from Kutaisi to Tbilisi after the elections, saying this would be a wrong decision.
The UNM says they will take part in the second round run-offs in Kutaisi, west Georgia, in order to prevent creation of a constitutional majority in the country and moving the parliament back to the capital city.
The opposition party calls on its voters to participate in the second round on October 30 and support the UNM.
“We are going to fight in order to keep Parliament in Kutaisi and not to let the ruling team gain a constitutional majority,” member of the UNM Gigi Tsereteli stated.
Another member of the UNM, Akaki Bobokhidze, said the second round is not only the election but the referendum, which will decide if Kutaisi will stay as a parliamentary city or not.
“Kutaisi residents will have to decide if Kutaisi will maintain the status of a parliamentary city,” said Bobokhidze.
A member of the GDDG party, Eka Beselia, commented on the issue, saying the UNM is doing its best to gain votes.
Beselia believes that it is up to the population to make their choice.
“I hope that our citizens realize they have to be active and support the GDDG. Every vote given to the UNM equates to violence and illegality,” she stressed.
As a result of Georgia’s October 8 parliamentary elections, the ruling team already has 67 guaranteed seats in Georgia’s 150-seat parliament. If the GD manages to win during the October 30 second round elections, it will gain a constitutional majority in the new parliament.
