Opposition against moving Parliament to Kutaisi

The Saakashvili Administration decided to move the Georgian Parliament in Kutaisi and a very extravagant building is being constructed for this purpose in the city. Most of the opposition members challenged this idea but they have no levers whatsoever to stop the ruling administration. However now and then there have been some very harsh statements made by the opposition members over the issue.

One of the initiators of this idea. the MP from Kutaisi Akaki Bobokhidze defends the decision of moving the Parliament to Kutaisi with one argument stating that this decision was made for safety reasons because Russian occupation forces are deployed near Tbilisi.

This justification was immediately challenged by the opposition. One of the leaders of the Christian Democratic Movement (CDM) Nika Laliashvili thinks that this is not an adequate step and implies capitualtion. “Does it mean that we surrender Tbilisi and move to the safer place – Kutaisi?” According to him Georgia is a very little country and the wars are not conducted with swords or horses,but with Iskander and Tochka U missiles. Attacks could happen in Tbilisi or Kutaisi – it makes no difference with modern weapons.

Another argument for the step is the idea of the development of Kutaisi and the region. This needs to be done through planning the development of the country, thinks one of the Labor Party leaders Kakha Dzagania. With this logic, the Parliament should be mobile so after Kutaisi when region is developed Parliament could be moved to Akhaltsikhe or some other part of Georgia. Some opposition members think that moving the Parliament to Kutaisi was a personal decision of President Saakashvili because during the last presidential elections Tbilisi voters didn’t vote for him thus he punished the capital.

Some analysts think that moving the Parliament to Kutaisi is part of a bigger plan which envisages winning the 2012 Parliamentary elections in such a manner that it would secure President Saakashvili in the Prime Minister’s position. One way or another the decision has been made and the implementation of the decision is underway.