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GEORGIA'S UNITED OPPOSITION AGAINST MIKHEIL SAAKASHVILI
LEVAN GACHECHILADZE,
Georgia's united opposition presidential candidate, Tbilisi
President Mikheil Saakashvili behaves as if nothing happened on November 7. He is violating the election law spending the budgetary funds on his campaign.
Saakashvili pursues policy of force in order to win the elections and follow this very policy in future. But he will not be able to do so any more.
On November 7, Saakashvili caused a bloody carnage in Georgia, that's why there is no chance he will win the elections. The similar action took place in Georgia on April 9, 1989 (dispersion of the enormous rally of the national movement). The difference is that people understood the April 9 events, while the action on November 7, 2007 is impossible to understand.
The West criticizes Saakashvili for pursuing policy of force. For the time being I have not heard the criticism on the part of Russia. The West is fostering democracy in Georgia and I do not think that it will support this violence and injustice.
As regards my former partnership with Saakashvili, I am one of the people he deceived. After he had deceived me, he deceived the Georgian people and the whole world. I realized earlier than others that he is a liar. But it is impossible to reform Georgia by telling lies. That’s why I became one of the most serious opponents of Saakashvili together with the opposition and the people.
I am a former businessman, so I know well how to employ financial resources, attract investments and use them. Saakashvili spends not only America’s money, he terrorizes the Georgian businessmen and takes away their money.
I have a lot of business partners and friends who know and, I can say, respect me. Many people are ready to finance my election campaign.
As to employment of financial resources after the elections, we will recover the democracy institutions and carry out reforms. What counts most is we will help the development of small and medium-size business. The small and medium businesses can increase the country's budget five- or tenfold. And we will not have to borrow money.
Today Georgia has no sound and competitive business environment. Some businessmen, belonging to the President’s entourage, control about 90 percent of the Georgian business. It is impossible to develop small and medium-size business.
The main impetus that drives me into power is the wish to change the constitutional order. I firmly believe that the parliamentary republic is an adequate system for Georgia. The presidency as an institution may exist but President's powers should be greatly limited. The power will be handed over to the Parliament elected by the people.
Apart from that, we are going to hold fair parliamentary elections. It has to be defined whether this order would resemble that of Germany, Italy or Israel. The experts are discussing this issue. Right after the newly-elected Parliament approves the Cabinet, I will resign.
The major opposition slogan is Georgia without strong presidency institution. As regards the opposition program, it will be made public in about 10 days.
I would like to say that when I become President, Georgia will continue to be West- and NATO-oriented. I think it is the only way for a democratic country. I am also going to give great attention to the development of good-neighborly relations with Russia. I will not criticize anybody as if I were a participant of a TV show. It is important for me to improve the relations with Russia. But Russia should realize that Georgia is not inferior to Russia. I am going to pay attention to work rather than to populist promises.
Those who say that the Georgian youth is not at home with the Russian language are wrong. It is not Georgia but Russia’s fault that Russian is not popular in Georgia.
If to speak about South Ossetia and Abkhazia, those are the ancient Georgian territories. Russia admits that. In my opinion, the settlement should be peaceful.
Then the referendum can be held to complete this process peacefully. At this stage, as a representative of the opposition I am not informed well enough. Only the authorities are well informed and use the leverage. But the settlement must be peaceful.
As regards Georgia’s CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) membership, we chose freedom. When the CIS evolves to unite free democracies, we can return to the CIS. I would not like to live in a Commonwealth with undemocratic principles. But since I am the single opposition candidate, if I win the elections, the team decisions will remain valid. If a different team decision is made, I will accept it.
The material is based on Levan Gachechiladze’s address to the video conference organized by the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti and Tbilisi International Press Center on November 21, 2007.
November 23, 2007
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