Press Scanner
Compiled by Eter Tsotniashvili
Monday, June 30
“Irakli Iashvili leaves politics”
Sakartvelos Respublika reports on Irakli Iashvili’s retirement from politics. The New Rights member, elected to parliament last month on the United Opposition ticket, joined his allies in asking parliament to invalidate his MP status as part of a parliamentary boycott:
“By 85 votes to 4, the Georgian parliament invalidated the MP mandate of Irakli Iashvili, a New Rights member.
Iashvili’s request to invalidate his MP mandate was discussed at a committee session and agreed to.
Parliament invalidated the MPs’ mandates of 11 [other] members of the United Opposition before Iashvili, because when the other members addressed parliament with their request Iashvili was not in Georgia.
Iashvili is leaving politics, and says he will go into business.”
“Georgian opposition met Sarkozy”
The leader of the New Rights, who has helped lead an opposition boycott of the newly-elected parliament, spoke with France’s president while attending a congress for an international umbrella group of center-right political parties in Paris, Sakartvelos Respublika reports:
“Leader of the New Rights Davit Gamkrelidze and party members Pikria Chikhradze and Giorgi Mosidze took part in a congress of the International Democrat Union in Paris.
According to the party’s press center, as part of the congress there was a meeting between Davit Gamkrelidze and Nikolas Sarkozy, where they discussed the necessity of supporting democracy.
Davit Gamkrelidze also gave a speech [at the congress]. According to the press center, the speech was about the current democratic crisis in Georgia and the rigged elections.”
“Labor keeps its MP mandates”
To boycott the new parliament, the Labor Party was to make a formal request for parliament to invalidate its MPs’ statuses. But their written request was couched in political rhetoric, and lacked the necessary legal wording. As a result, Akhali Taoba writes, parliament ultimately did not invalidate their credentials:
“Four Labor members kept their MP status. Shalva Natelashvili, Kakha Dzagania, Giorgi Gugava and Soso Shatberashvili are [still] MPs. The parliamentary procedural issues and rules committee tried to understand what Labor needed and what they were demanding with their declaration, but they could not.
According to the head of the committee, Khatuna Gogorishvili, there is no specific request in the declaration to invalidate the MPs’ mandates.”
Sakartvelos Respublika reports on Irakli Iashvili’s retirement from politics. The New Rights member, elected to parliament last month on the United Opposition ticket, joined his allies in asking parliament to invalidate his MP status as part of a parliamentary boycott:
“By 85 votes to 4, the Georgian parliament invalidated the MP mandate of Irakli Iashvili, a New Rights member.
Iashvili’s request to invalidate his MP mandate was discussed at a committee session and agreed to.
Parliament invalidated the MPs’ mandates of 11 [other] members of the United Opposition before Iashvili, because when the other members addressed parliament with their request Iashvili was not in Georgia.
Iashvili is leaving politics, and says he will go into business.”
“Georgian opposition met Sarkozy”
The leader of the New Rights, who has helped lead an opposition boycott of the newly-elected parliament, spoke with France’s president while attending a congress for an international umbrella group of center-right political parties in Paris, Sakartvelos Respublika reports:
“Leader of the New Rights Davit Gamkrelidze and party members Pikria Chikhradze and Giorgi Mosidze took part in a congress of the International Democrat Union in Paris.
According to the party’s press center, as part of the congress there was a meeting between Davit Gamkrelidze and Nikolas Sarkozy, where they discussed the necessity of supporting democracy.
Davit Gamkrelidze also gave a speech [at the congress]. According to the press center, the speech was about the current democratic crisis in Georgia and the rigged elections.”
“Labor keeps its MP mandates”
To boycott the new parliament, the Labor Party was to make a formal request for parliament to invalidate its MPs’ statuses. But their written request was couched in political rhetoric, and lacked the necessary legal wording. As a result, Akhali Taoba writes, parliament ultimately did not invalidate their credentials:
“Four Labor members kept their MP status. Shalva Natelashvili, Kakha Dzagania, Giorgi Gugava and Soso Shatberashvili are [still] MPs. The parliamentary procedural issues and rules committee tried to understand what Labor needed and what they were demanding with their declaration, but they could not.
According to the head of the committee, Khatuna Gogorishvili, there is no specific request in the declaration to invalidate the MPs’ mandates.”