Press Scanner
Complied by Liana Bezhanishvili
Wednesday, December 9
Kakha Kukava – I deeply respect Irakli but his circle and policy are unacceptable for me
The procedure for selecting common candidates is always open. All opposition parties will participate in the primary elections. Levan Gachechiladze is one person who will be standing. Competition is not problem in the primaries, as the idea behind these is to end our internal competition there and fight the authorities together. The Allianceis still expected to field a candidate, as this is the position of the Republicans [a member of the Alliance], Conservative Party joint leader Kakha Kukava has stated in an interview with Akhali Taoba.
The dispute we are having is not about the ballot papers or boxes, it is about the attitude of "I have my own candidate and I do care about the others" displayed by some parties. This was also the position of some at the Parliamentary elections, and the country was damaged as a result. The real dispute is about whether we are able to forget about our personal ambitions for the common good. I think it is not appropriate to withdraw and say that the elections will be falsified anyway. People say this simply because they do not want to nominate a common candidate who will defeat the authorities. Let me ask them if they have ever provided us with their suggestions on procedural and technical issues and if we have refused to take them into account. There has not been such a case," Kukava told the newspaper.
This is why I believe that society should discuss openly whether we need a common candidate or not. If the problem is only procedural issues we are ready to share directly all suggestions. However the tradition of the Republicans is to disrupt unity. They certainly do not call it disruption but the end result is the same. If the Republicans manage to win their point and the opposition has five candidates at the local elections, the same thing that happened at the previous Parliamentary elections will occur again," Kukava said.
"Generally, we were against participating in the NDI group [working out changes to the election code]. When we look at the positions of the major candidates – Dzidziguri, Alasania, Davitashvili, - I can say that Dzidziguri's is the best, as his position proved to be the most appropriate one. Let us recall the positions of Dzidziguri and Alasania when the NDI group was being set up. Dzidziguri said that we only legitimise the authorities by taking part in this process. But Alasania stated that Biden and the whole of America would stand beside us. I also remember Sozar Subari’s words: "We shall change the electoral legislation." Did anything change? The process was a complete fiasco. If Biden comes to Georgia and makes Kublashvili change Election Code they will be right, but we believe our position is correct," Kakha Kukava adds.
"I have known Irakli Alasania for a long time and I deeply respect him, but his circle and his policy are unacceptable for me. It is impossible to create a democratic Election Code with Kublashvili and Machavariani."
"Yes, I think that the Republican Party is on one side and the rest of the opposition on the other, but I sense there are people with different opinions in the Republican Party. A healthy opinion will be supported by society. The pressure of healthy opinion is stronger than rubber bullets. We intend to shoot healthy opinion at our opponents," he concluded.
Will there be an Alliance for Georgia faction in Parliament?
Akhali Taoba writes that non-Parliamentary opposition leader Irakli Alasania now has two MPs in Parliament. Now that Giorgi Tsagareishvili has joined his party it is suggested that Karlo Kopaliani will also ask to join. He has stated at a briefing that he is joining the action to impeach the President.
Karlo Kopaliani is the majority MP who was supported by the Republicans at the Parliamentary elections. The opposition knows that the local elections are not just about the Tbilisi Mayor and Council and it is very important how this or that party presents itself in the regions.
Several MPs have tried to form themselves into a new faction but in vain so far. It is difficult to see all the independent MPs, such as Petre Mamradze, Jondi Baghaturia, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Giorgi Tsagareishvili and Karlo Kopaliani, sitting in the same faction.
Three Parliamentary seats are currently vacant. In Gurjaani, Ozurgeti and Chughureti by-elections must be held to replace former National Movement MPs and the opposition could win these, although the National Movement could also put up candidates unlike in the last by-elections.
The procedure for selecting common candidates is always open. All opposition parties will participate in the primary elections. Levan Gachechiladze is one person who will be standing. Competition is not problem in the primaries, as the idea behind these is to end our internal competition there and fight the authorities together. The Allianceis still expected to field a candidate, as this is the position of the Republicans [a member of the Alliance], Conservative Party joint leader Kakha Kukava has stated in an interview with Akhali Taoba.
The dispute we are having is not about the ballot papers or boxes, it is about the attitude of "I have my own candidate and I do care about the others" displayed by some parties. This was also the position of some at the Parliamentary elections, and the country was damaged as a result. The real dispute is about whether we are able to forget about our personal ambitions for the common good. I think it is not appropriate to withdraw and say that the elections will be falsified anyway. People say this simply because they do not want to nominate a common candidate who will defeat the authorities. Let me ask them if they have ever provided us with their suggestions on procedural and technical issues and if we have refused to take them into account. There has not been such a case," Kukava told the newspaper.
This is why I believe that society should discuss openly whether we need a common candidate or not. If the problem is only procedural issues we are ready to share directly all suggestions. However the tradition of the Republicans is to disrupt unity. They certainly do not call it disruption but the end result is the same. If the Republicans manage to win their point and the opposition has five candidates at the local elections, the same thing that happened at the previous Parliamentary elections will occur again," Kukava said.
"Generally, we were against participating in the NDI group [working out changes to the election code]. When we look at the positions of the major candidates – Dzidziguri, Alasania, Davitashvili, - I can say that Dzidziguri's is the best, as his position proved to be the most appropriate one. Let us recall the positions of Dzidziguri and Alasania when the NDI group was being set up. Dzidziguri said that we only legitimise the authorities by taking part in this process. But Alasania stated that Biden and the whole of America would stand beside us. I also remember Sozar Subari’s words: "We shall change the electoral legislation." Did anything change? The process was a complete fiasco. If Biden comes to Georgia and makes Kublashvili change Election Code they will be right, but we believe our position is correct," Kakha Kukava adds.
"I have known Irakli Alasania for a long time and I deeply respect him, but his circle and his policy are unacceptable for me. It is impossible to create a democratic Election Code with Kublashvili and Machavariani."
"Yes, I think that the Republican Party is on one side and the rest of the opposition on the other, but I sense there are people with different opinions in the Republican Party. A healthy opinion will be supported by society. The pressure of healthy opinion is stronger than rubber bullets. We intend to shoot healthy opinion at our opponents," he concluded.
Will there be an Alliance for Georgia faction in Parliament?
Akhali Taoba writes that non-Parliamentary opposition leader Irakli Alasania now has two MPs in Parliament. Now that Giorgi Tsagareishvili has joined his party it is suggested that Karlo Kopaliani will also ask to join. He has stated at a briefing that he is joining the action to impeach the President.
Karlo Kopaliani is the majority MP who was supported by the Republicans at the Parliamentary elections. The opposition knows that the local elections are not just about the Tbilisi Mayor and Council and it is very important how this or that party presents itself in the regions.
Several MPs have tried to form themselves into a new faction but in vain so far. It is difficult to see all the independent MPs, such as Petre Mamradze, Jondi Baghaturia, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Giorgi Tsagareishvili and Karlo Kopaliani, sitting in the same faction.
Three Parliamentary seats are currently vacant. In Gurjaani, Ozurgeti and Chughureti by-elections must be held to replace former National Movement MPs and the opposition could win these, although the National Movement could also put up candidates unlike in the last by-elections.