UNM rally after decisions of Tbilisi City Council
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, October 2
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party will hold a protest rally at the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office on October 2, after the City Council (Sakrebulo) approved two controversial projects on Saturday.
Zaal Udumashvili, the mayoral candidate of the United National Movement, said at a briefing that the decision made by the City Council was an illegal deal and it aims to transfer half of Tbilisi to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and former Prime Minister of Georgia.
“We are not going to give up. After winning the elections, naturally, all the illegal decisions against Tbilisi will be revoked. Our protest will be more crowded, stronger and louder. That's why we are announcing that we will hold a rally at 14:00 on Monday,” he stated.
The other opposition parties also announced protest rallies after the City Council’s decision, which passed two resolutions that allow one of Ivanishvili’s companies to buy two land plots 1,900 and 4,700 square meters in size for a symbolic price of one GEL and use the properties to build a large car park and a recreational complex.
The car park will be constructed on a property near Freedom Square, while the multifunctional recreational center will be located on Mount Tabori, overlooking Tbilisi and adjacent to the botanical garden, which is next to Ivanishvili’s palace on the Mtatsminda hills.
After the resolutions were passed at the City Council, the opposition parties protested and were forcibly removed from the Sakrebulo.
Deputy Chairman of Tbilisi City Council Giorgi Tkemaladze responded to the opposition parties, saying the Sakrebulo made a truly important decision, according to which large recreational zones will be built in Tbilisi.
"This decision was opposed by the dismantled National Movement party. They do not really have the mandate and support of the public. We believe that by this decision an unprecedentedly important recreational zone will be built for our city," said Tkemaladze.
Tbilisi Mayor Davit Narmania also made a comment on the opposition’s protest. He said that different positions should be expressed politely and not by rude and loud expressions.
“The Sakrebulo is the body whose members were elected by our fellow citizens and they should do the work that concerns the city. Expressions should be made in a polite and civilized form and nobody has the right to interfere with the Sakrebulo's activities,” Narmania stated.
