Opposition ask for international mediation, with conditions

Opposition leaders publicized an open letter to the international community yesterday asking for foreign mediation in the country’s political standoff, even as some of the same campaigners prepared to rally at the US Embassy to protest foreign intervention in Georgian affairs.

“The Georgian opposition again confirms its disposition to have a dialogue in the interest of the country and to save the electoral process, but, unable to trust the authorities, appeals to the international community to serve as a mediator of a negotiation of the last chance,” reads the statement, co-signed by leaders of the eight-party opposition coalition, the New Rights and the Republicans.

Opposition representatives did not make it clear what sort of mediation they would like. Leading opposition coalition member Kakha Kukava, a Conservative MP, seemed to be calling for less foreign involvement when the newspaper contacted him yesterday.

“When [foreign capitals] were bothered by Shevardnadze they [forced him to] resign; now, while Saakashvili is their favorite they will try to maintain him in his position,” Kukava said. “Our main message to the international community is that Georgia is an independent country and we demand fair, democratic elections where Georgians themselves can elect their choice.”

The eight-party opposition coalition is planning a protest in front of the US Embassy today, an extreme rarity for Georgia, to coincide with Saakashvili’s meeting with US President George W. Bush.

The demonstration will not be anti-American, Kukava said on March 17, but rather an attempt to show Washington that the “Georgian people accept the government which is elected by Georgians, and not appointed governor by outside forces.”

“Everyone should know that Georgia has its sovereignty and nobody can interfere in our affairs,” he told the paper.

Yesterday’s opposition statement repeated accusations that the January 5 presidential election was rigged to hand President Mikheil Saakashvili a second term, and criticized the ruling party for the “provocation” of single-handedly passing a constitutional amendment which increases the number of directly-elected ‘majoritarian’ MPs to half of the next parliament.

“This law has been presented and adopted in less than three days, without any form of consultation of the opposition, not being part of the agenda of discussions concerning the electoral process supposedly directed at avoiding frauds and excesses that marked the last presidential elections of January 5,” they wrote.

The newspaper could not reach a ruling party representative for comment. Saakashvili has said the new system is fair, but opposition politicians say it aids the ruling party by giving more representation to rural areas, where the government receives more support.

The final OSCE/ODIHR observer mission report on the snap presidential election found numerous flaws, including “bad or very bad” vote counts in nearly a quarter of all precincts, but judged the election to be “in essence” democratic.

The opposition said they began hunger strikes, now in their eleventh day, because the government did not implement reforms agreed upon in post-election negotiations. Government officials deny reneging on any agreements.

Around 70 opposition campaigners remain on hunger strike outside parliament. Yesterday, Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze asked them to call off the demonstration, and offered a return to dialogue.

“I have never set any ultimatums to anyone and was always ready for a dialogue,” she told reporters.