Friday, July 27, 2007, #142 (1409)

Press Scanner
Prepared by Diana Dundua

Headline: Hamlet Chipashvili: “The opposition has no chance of winning the elections!”
Political analyst Hamlet Chipashvili (and former Adjaran representative to Tbilisi), according to the newspaper Akhali Taoba, says the opposition will manage to unite the electorate only when politicians learn to make use of social problems and current events.
“For example, when the block of flats was being destroyed on Tabukashvili St. #50, none of the opposition parties were there—though this was a huge event. If the opposition isn’t interested in social problems and they don’t consider the people’s interests, they won’t win in the elections,” explained Chipashvili.
According to him, the opposition should go door-to-door to meet with voters, like government officials do.
“The thing is, the opposition representatives are too lazy to do this. They only address the public from their cabinets, and this is nothing at all. It’s vitally important to meet with people. The notion that it’s important to have a charismatic leader is wrong. We live in the 21st century, and the only significant thing is for a real political leader to be clever and honest—but it’s impossible to find someone like that in Georgian politics,” the analyst said.

Headline: Six Years Since the Murder of Giorgi Sanaia
Georgian journalist Giorgi Sanaia was murdered six years ago, writes the newspaper Rezonansi.
According to Sanaia’s brother, Vakho Sanaia, he and Giorgi’s friends and relatives went to the cemetery to remember him.
Giorgi Sanaia was working with Rustavi 2 when, on July 26, 2001, he was gunned down in his own flat. A highly popular journalist, Sanaia earned a reputation for investigating allegations of government corruption.
After four months, police arrested Grigol Khurtsilava. After confessing to the murder, Khurtsilava was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment—but according to Sanaia’s relatives, the murder was not fairly investigated.

Headline: Government to Sell Youth Palace
The newspaper Sakartvelos Respublika reports that Labor Party leader Paata Jibladze claims the government is preparing to sell Tbilisi’s Youth Palace.
His party was tipped off, he said, by a secret source inside the Ministry of Education and Science.
“The government will prepare all the paperwork this summer, and in September state financing for the palace will be cut off, and it will be ready to be sold,” said Jibladze.
According to Jibladze, the price tag would be at least USD 20–30 million.
“I want to warn government officials we won’t let the administration do this, and I’m sure the whole town will protest with us,” said the Labor Party leader.
Note: In summer 2006, the Youth Palace was to be sold to the Nino Ananiashvili Ballet Studio, but public protests forced the government to scuttle the plan.

Headline: Triplets Born in Kutaisi
Akhali Taoba reports that triples were born in Kutaisi’s Maternity House #2. Natia Gogidze gave birth to Luka, Nikoloz and Andria through a c-section on July 25. The baby boys weighed 2.1 kilograms, 2.2 kilograms and 2.3 kilograms.
Doctors said they were concerned about the last baby delivered, but that the mother and children’s health are now stable.
Gogidze was visited by New Rights party leaders MPs Davit Gamkrelidze and Manana Nachkebia, who congratulated her on the births, saying that joys like this would help against Georgia’s shrinking population problem.
Another set of triplets were also born in Kutaisi four months ago.



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