Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Recently supporters of the former ruling party United National Movement (UNM) have conducted a meeting in the center of Tbilisi. Their motto was “For European Georgia.” Officially it was devoted to “preservation and improvement of the European-Atlantic course of Georgia.” In fact the initiators had a different pragmatic goal – to prove the authorities that UNM has many supporters and it can be a serious opposition force.
The situation for Georgia is unique – until now none of ruling parties which failed to stay in power couldn’t remain on the political stage. Right after escape of the first president Zviad Gamsakhurdia in 1992, his movement “The Round Table – Free Georgia” disappeared. Nobody remembers the Union of Georgian Citizens which disappeared right after the end of Eduard Shevardnadze’s career in 2003. Saakashvili and his team decided to break the tradition, even though recent public opinion polls do not promise anything good for them. UNM is supported by 5% of citizens only, and if elections took place today, Saakashvili’s party could fail to surpass the vote threshold. However, this is statistics only. In reality UNM got 40% in the parliamentary elections on October 1st, i.e. a powerful fraction in the parliament. Moreover, it still controls a significant part of municipal bodies, including the capital, as its mayor Gigi Ugulava is a member of UNM.
Today many people are disappointed that the government cannot fulfill all pre-election promises at once. Others are indignant with the fact that after release of two-thirds of prisoners who were amnestied, the criminal level grew. But all these motives were hidden by initiators of the meeting under the motto “Won’t let Ivanishvili turn Georgia to the north and surrender it to Russia!” It is senseless to state the fact that the new authorities haven’t yielded anything serious to Moscow.
Leaders of President’s party professionally used emotional perception of the events which took place 25 years ago, i.e. the period of struggling for independence, stating on beginning of “The New National Liberation Movement” (NLM). The former prime minister and possible candidate to presidency Vano Merabishvili announced establishing “committees and supporting groups of the New National Liberation Movement” in every region, town, and village. The main idea of his speech was: “We made a lot of mistakes, but we are able to understand them and move forward.”
Everybody expected that during the meeting UNM would name a candidate to presidency and Saakashvili would appear. The candidate’s name wasn’t called; but Saakashvili showed up. He shook hands, walking through the crowd. President’s speech appeared to be the least political correct and the most critical toward internal and external rivals. He called the former members of UNM who a day before declared about their leaving UNM “rats deserting a ship.” The head of the state criticized the former speaker Nino Burdzhanadze who is the only politician who is openly standing for real steps toward Russia: “We heard statements that the government wants to appoint Nino Burdzhanadze the opposition, while she is Putin’s friend. So, people will have to make a choice between bad and the worst: you choose either the Krmelin’s friend Burdzhanadze or the Kremlin’s semi-friend the government. But the Georgian people will choose between patriots and great patriots. If we choose dishonor, we will get complete occupation; if we stand for honor, we will get an absolutely free country.”
