First Parliament Session in Kutaisi – Next Childish Entertainment for Saakashvili or Snap Parliamentary Elections?

Interpresnews

Member of the Parliamentary fraction Union for Justice MP Dimitry Lortkipanidze expects the President to surprise people with snap elections.

On November 8, MP Dimitry Lortkipanidze said at the plenary session that the President’s statement about the “first session” in Kutaisi based parliament building on May 26, 2012 breaches the Constitution of Georgia.

The MP added that after Saakashvili’s statement the members of the parliamentary majority were confused. “The majority could not figure out the so-called message-box which they should send after the recent statement of the President.”

Lortkipanidze expects the President of Georgia to make a statement about the snap parliamentary elections during his yearly report to the parliament in January of 2012. Lortkipanidze added that the president is a good lawyer and of course he was fully aware that his statement about the first scheduled parliamentary session on May 26, 2012 contradicted the Constitution.

In reply to the abovementioned assumption of the oppositionist MP, the parliamentary majority made comments and excluded the possibility of snap elections again.

Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Mikheil Machavariani clarified the President’s statement and noted that “On May 26, 2012 the first session of the Parliament will be held in the new building of the parliament in Kutaisi and it will not be the first session of the new convocation parliament.”

The vice-speaker suggested the opposition parties to be calm. “No snap elections are planned. Be calm. This parliament will finish its activities within constitutional terms.”

MP Akaki Bobokhidze cannot understand why the opposition parties got astonished with it even if the President really announced the snap elections. Bobokhidze said the opposition parties permanently requested snap elections from the government. “Now, it was enough for them to misunderstand the president’s statement and they started noise about it.”

Leader of the Republic Party Davit Usupashvili said Mikheil Saakashvili is trying to prepare pre-conditions for the snap elections with similar statements in case if they need it.

“I do not think they have decided to hold parliamentary elections in spring but I really have impression that they are discussing the issue as a possible tactic maneuver. If they conclude that the more time passes the worse their situation will be, they should hold elections earlier,” said Usupashvili.

Usupashvili added that similar decision is signal for the opposition parties to be ready for every political maneuver.

“Saakashvili is famous with his childish entertainments; he loves symbols, coincidence of celebration dates; he does not care how much time is necessary for the construction of a building or for technological process. I wish the new building of the parliament did not collapse on May 26 because builders and experts told me it is unreal terms for construction; the same happened with the Tbilisi International Airport, Batumi Theater and other buildings,” said the leader of the Republic Party.

Usupashvili said it was Saakashvili’s caprice to move the parliament to Kutaisi. He is sure finally the issue will have different development.

Usupashvili thinks the parliament of Georgia must be located in Tbilisi and the new building in Kutaisi will have different function.

President Saakashvili stated that first session of the parliament will be held in Kutaisi on May 26, 2012. The president made similar statement short time ago too. The parliamentary majority clarifies that the session will have symbolic character.

In accordance to the recent amendments to the Constitution, the venue of the Parliament is Kutaisi but the new norm will be in force after the next convocation of the parliament is elected.

The Constitution also states that parliament’s venue, place of session or meeting can be changed in chase of emergency or military situations.