Press Scanner
Complied by Keti Baramidze
Wednesday, May 12
NGO head: the Forum’s and Gachechiladze’s support will bring victory to Alasania
In an interview with Rezonansi leader of the NGO Law for People Zakaria Kutsnashvili states that, “Irakli Alasania’s chances of winning the elections will undoubtedly rise immensely if the National Forum supports him. If the opposition want to gain victory under this unfair electoral system its members must participate more actively. Who Levan Gachechiladze will choose to support is also essential. If Alasania manages to gain Gachechiladze's and the Forum's goodwill he will easily sweep home.
"On this occasion the opposition supporters will adopt their two favourite candidates, whose supporters will increase the number of people voting in the elections, but also split the neutral electors, who in any election exceed the committed ones who give their votes to the same party most of the time. That’s why as a citizen of this country I want the forces who aren’t voting in the elections to express their opinions on this or that candidate and I also appeal to those forces participating in the elections to give up holding meetings with people only to talk about the elections. Tbilisi is obviously an opposition city and this fact must be confirmed in the ballot," stresses Kutsnashvili.
When asked what will happen if things don’t go the way he wants them to, Kutsnashvili answers:
“If those parties don’t express their position by 20-25 May, then the so-called “law of the jungle” will reign and opposition parties will start to fight other opposition parties. To demonstrate this let’s recall Georgia’s recent history, when Supreme Council election participants and those who didn’t vote opposed each other. I don’t have the slightest desire to see this again and that’s why I appeal to the opposition parties to consolidate and join forces."
Kakha Kukava: Today the electoral lists are mostly falsified
National Council member Kakha Kukava says in an interview with Akhali Taoba: “The election lists are much more falsified now than in former elections. Look at the blocks being built at the present moment for example. These blocks don’t actually exist yet, but fictitious electors who do not live there are still enrolled in the lists.
"We won’t improve this situation by correcting these mistakes but we intend to surprise the government. I don't know whether we will be able to do this everywhere but in Vake and wherever we have the resources to do it we will prevent fictitious electors from voting.
"We know their methods backwards. Counterfeiting IDs is their main means of manipulating elections. They have accurate records about those in the lists and those who live in foreign countries, they know precisely who won’t vote and so on. On the basis of this information they make bogus passports with the real people's names but National Movement activists' photos. So the lists they present are obviously faked. When Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected the lists contained exactly the same number of people as they do now. No one should have any illusion that in today’s situation a real election list would contain as many people as in Gamsakhurdia’s time," states Kukava.
"After the elections everything will entirely depend on the people. If we lose the elections and the electorate refuse to support us, it doesn’t matter how hard we try, we won’t be able to bring them out into the streets. But if we win the elections we will undoubtedly fulfil the mandates given to us by our public," concludes Kukava.
In an interview with Rezonansi leader of the NGO Law for People Zakaria Kutsnashvili states that, “Irakli Alasania’s chances of winning the elections will undoubtedly rise immensely if the National Forum supports him. If the opposition want to gain victory under this unfair electoral system its members must participate more actively. Who Levan Gachechiladze will choose to support is also essential. If Alasania manages to gain Gachechiladze's and the Forum's goodwill he will easily sweep home.
"On this occasion the opposition supporters will adopt their two favourite candidates, whose supporters will increase the number of people voting in the elections, but also split the neutral electors, who in any election exceed the committed ones who give their votes to the same party most of the time. That’s why as a citizen of this country I want the forces who aren’t voting in the elections to express their opinions on this or that candidate and I also appeal to those forces participating in the elections to give up holding meetings with people only to talk about the elections. Tbilisi is obviously an opposition city and this fact must be confirmed in the ballot," stresses Kutsnashvili.
When asked what will happen if things don’t go the way he wants them to, Kutsnashvili answers:
“If those parties don’t express their position by 20-25 May, then the so-called “law of the jungle” will reign and opposition parties will start to fight other opposition parties. To demonstrate this let’s recall Georgia’s recent history, when Supreme Council election participants and those who didn’t vote opposed each other. I don’t have the slightest desire to see this again and that’s why I appeal to the opposition parties to consolidate and join forces."
Kakha Kukava: Today the electoral lists are mostly falsified
National Council member Kakha Kukava says in an interview with Akhali Taoba: “The election lists are much more falsified now than in former elections. Look at the blocks being built at the present moment for example. These blocks don’t actually exist yet, but fictitious electors who do not live there are still enrolled in the lists.
"We won’t improve this situation by correcting these mistakes but we intend to surprise the government. I don't know whether we will be able to do this everywhere but in Vake and wherever we have the resources to do it we will prevent fictitious electors from voting.
"We know their methods backwards. Counterfeiting IDs is their main means of manipulating elections. They have accurate records about those in the lists and those who live in foreign countries, they know precisely who won’t vote and so on. On the basis of this information they make bogus passports with the real people's names but National Movement activists' photos. So the lists they present are obviously faked. When Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected the lists contained exactly the same number of people as they do now. No one should have any illusion that in today’s situation a real election list would contain as many people as in Gamsakhurdia’s time," states Kukava.
"After the elections everything will entirely depend on the people. If we lose the elections and the electorate refuse to support us, it doesn’t matter how hard we try, we won’t be able to bring them out into the streets. But if we win the elections we will undoubtedly fulfil the mandates given to us by our public," concludes Kukava.