The FINANCIAL — Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, leader of Freedom Party, criticized the opposition coalition and said he “can no longer imagine cooperation” with the bloc.
According to Civil Georgia, he told Rustavi 2 TV on July 12 that “backstage bargaining of some opposition parties” from the coalition with the authorities had resulted into a failure to change the political landscape in the country. “Today Saakashvili’s rule is as strong as never,” Gamsakhurdia said.
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, like other 11 leaders of the coalition, have renounced their MP mandates and refused to enter the new Parliament. Gamsakhurdia, however, signaled in mid-June that his party could have quit the coalition. His complaints were believed to be mainly related with the increasing role of the New Rights Party within the coalition.
Kakha Kukava of the Conservative Party – part of the coalition – said Gamsakhurdia’s claims that some parties within the coalition having “backstage bargaining” with the authorities was “a provocative allegation, which aims at discrediting opposition and demoralization of opposition supporters and at boosting pseudo-opposition parties, which have emerged recently.”
Politicians from the opposition coalition have labeled those parties and politicians as “pseudo-opposition” which have decided to join the new Parliament.
There are currently six parties united in the coalition – not counting the Freedom Party, which will most likely formally quit the bloc soon: New Rights Party; Conservative Party; Georgia’s Way; Party of People; Movement for United Georgia and National Forum.
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