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PRESIDENTIAL RACE IN GEORGIA
SHALVA NATELASHVILI,
Presidential candidate, Leader of the Labor Party, Tbilisi
I hope that I will not be labeled “Russia’s agent” again after the conference at the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti Georgian representative office. I was called “Russia’s agent” when the Georgian authorities showed the plots where I officially met the Russian diplomats two years ago. Now this press conference. But I am not an agent of a foreign country. I am Georgia’s agent all over the world, including Russia.
The elections in all the countries imply surmounting obstacles. These obstacles are the core of the elections. In elections the political processes take the shape of competition, unlike the case with repressions when, on November 7, the demonstration was broken up by means of chemical weapons, riot police, taking TV channel “Imdei” by storm, and then the Labor Party’s office, my apartment and country house were searched. Their aim was to assassinate the Labor Party’s leader.
President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili does regard the party as a real force, and he is right. As a result, we went underground. I was accused of preparation of a coup d’etat in Georgia in the interests of Russia. Only after the White House, the administration of President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President of the Nixon Centre Dmitri Simes had stepped in, President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili withdrew accusations against me.
It is my personal example. This happens to all policy-makers and political forces opposing the current authorities. All of their phones are tapped. The situation resembles that of 1930s.
As regards the nomination of several opposition candidates, in Georgia everybody considers himself or herself to be worthy of becoming President or, at least, leader. So, against this background, 19 presidential candidates look like a gift. I believed that there would be 50 presidential candidates or more.
Of course, it would be better if the opposition nominated one presidential candidate and all the resources were cumulated to support this candidate. However, this did not occur for reasons beyond my control. I was in the underground when the opposition council decided to nominate businessman Levan Gachechiladze for the election. All of us respect him as a person. And yet, the presidential post is a political job.
After that we could not be silent and had to nominate our candidate. All the more that I had already been nominated before it was as far back as in September 2003. But the “Rose Revolution” ceased this process. So, my candidacy is not new for the Georgian society. I do not think that Saakashvili can take 50 percent plus one vote, even if there is vote fraud. If the second round takes place and if another opposition candidate participates in it, if he wins the election, I will be happy and I will be the first to congratulate him on his victory.
If we come to power, first of all, we will abolish the existing presidential system of government that turned into the dictatorship with repressions, violence and persecutions.
As long as Saakashvili stays in power, Georgia will be a superpresidential republic. So, it is necessary to elect a new President who would abolish this vicious system. But there are other questions. Which kind of a republic do we need? What powers should the President have? Who will elect him? We want the constitutional monarchy. But it is a matter of time. The second question, which kind of a president we need, is still important. I believe that if the President is to be elected by the Parliament, only a moneybag can become the President. So, I am for the President being elected by the people, but having limited powers. In my opinion, he should represent Georgia on the international scene, appoint ambassadors, etc.
Since 1995 our Party has been in opposition to Eduard Shevardnadze and then to “alumnus” of the “color revolution”, Mikheil Saakashvili. People know and respect us. We have been the most popular political force in Georgia for 15 years. In many respects, the “Rose Revolution” was arranged in order to prevent us from coming to power. Back then, according to Gallup Institute’s public opinion polls, my rating was 76 percent. By now this rating has got no lower. The authorities did not want me to run for President.
My adherents’ support can determine the outcome of the election in the first round, of course, if the election returns are fair.
At present, there are at least three surveillance cameras of the special services in front of our party’s office. They are watching who comes to the office. A businessman must not come there, otherwise his business will be completely destroyed. This is done to deprive the party of financial support ahead of the elections. For the same reason, the party’s phones are being tapped. The leaders of our party are being followed. Given the current situation, it is impossible to finance our party. The European Union decided that the party should receive about $15 thousand.
We have witnessed the criminal social policy followed by Shevardnadze and Saakashvili. There has never been famine in Georgia. Now the country faces “dark pause”– unemployment, lack of money. The wages are extremely low, but the prices are high like in Europe. The pensions are equal to $20, and the subsistence minimum - $100. In such a situation, no nation can be civilized, as well as every President and every government runs the danger of being overthrown by the incensed people.
We are going to immediately remedy this hard social situation. After that the government will develop democratic principles. A united Georgia comprising all its former territories will be created. The relations between Georgia and Russia will be improved. Out integration into the West should not put obstacles in the way of recovering the friendly relations with Russia, Georgia’s territorial integrity and of reannexing Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region. Georgia’s history started in Abkhazia. No government, no a Georgian will put up with Abkhazia’s withdrawal from Georgia.
I think that Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s issue will be solved easily, if the relations with Russia are improved. While all the strongly-worded statements about Russia strengthen the positions of the Kremlin and the State Duma separatists. So, if the friendship with Russia is recovered, the separatists themselves will turn to Tbilisi. We agree to recover the united Georgia with wide autonomous rights for Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But what matters now is the relations between Georgia and Russia. While the relations are bad, nothing can be done to append those territories.
As regards the USA, the country is to choose between Georgia, the Georgian people and the criminal Saakashvili’s faction. We believe that the USA will be on friendly terms with the Georgian people. Saakashvili’s holding power hits the U.S. reputation. In my opinion, Georgia’s friendships with Russia and the USA do not prevent each other. Georgia’s NATO or EU membership will do Russia no harm as well. Unfortunately, for the recent four years Saakashvili and his team have done their utmost to spoil the relations with Russia completely.
Speaking about the arrest of former Saakashvili’s adherent Irakli Okruashvili in Germany, I hope that the German authorities will get to the bottom of the situation and will not extradite him to Georgia. Germany must make the decision within 40 days. Okruashvili worked with Saakashvili, they built this repressive state together. When he was fired and then arrested, I regarded him as a victim of political repressions. Before that I had regarded him as a criminal: he together with Saakashvili created the repressive machine and later he fell victim to it.
The text is based on Shalva Natelashvili’s address to the video press conference Moscow-Tbilisi organized by the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti.
December 3, 2007
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