NO REAL OPPOSITION IN GEORGIA – ETHNIC ARMENIAN PARTY LEADER

ArmInfo, Armenia
Sept 18 2006

Yerevan, 18 September: "We cannot officially take part in local
government election since the Virk party has not been registered with
the Ministry of Justice," the leader of the party, which stands for
the ethnic Armenians of the [Javakhetia] region [in Georgia], David
Rstakyan, has told Javakhk-Info news agency.

Despite this, Georgia’s current electoral code is more democratic and
allows the Virk to nominate its candidates in some constituencies in
Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, Tsalka, Akhaltsikhe and other districts of
the country.

Describing the current composition of political forces in Georgia,
Rstakyan said: "There is no real opposition in the country although
there are such political parties as the New Right and the Industry
Will Save Georgia party in the parliament along with the governing
National Movement. As for the Justice Party of Igor Giorgadze and
the anti-Soros movement, the president has simply taken care of them."

Rstakyan said that there is no real opposition in Georgia today.