OPPOSITION HOLDS RALLY IN TBILISI

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.11.2008 18:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 7, 2008, up to 10 000 people congregated
in Tbilisi to vent their anger and frustration with Saakashvili’s
leadership in the largest manifestation of popular protest since
November 2003. Participants put forward a number of demands, including
Saakashvili’s resignation and the holding of parliamentary elections
in April 2008 as required by the constitution, rather than in the
fall of that year as decreed by Saakashvili.

Ten opposition parties from across the political spectrum, including
the People’s Party, the Labor Party, the Republican Party, the
Conservative Party, Georgia’s Way, Tavisupleba, Chven Tviton (We
Ourselves), and Okruashvili’s For a United Georgia, aligned in a
National Council that on October 17 unveiled a joint manifesto which
repeated many of Okruashvili’s criticisms of the Saakashvili regime.

It characterized the social, political, and economic situation in
Georgia as "grave," accused Saakashvili and his "corrupt team" of
"usurping power," and claimed that "political terror…reigns, and
basic human rights and freedoms are neglected." It further called
for the consolidation of Georgian society to elect in free and fair
elections in the spring of 2008 a new leadership that would enjoy
public trust and prove capable of tackling the serious problems the
country faced, RFE/RL reports.