TBILISI, November 24. /TASS/. Georgia’s opposition party United Georgia - Democratic Movement will take part in a grassroots rally on November 25 in front of the parliamentary building in Tbilisi to demand early parliamentary elections under the proportional representation system, the party’s leader and former parliament speaker, Nino Burdzhanadze said on Sunday.
"A march will be organized tomorrow at about seven (18:00 Moscow time). We will march from the Republic Square down to Rustaveli Avenue, where a rally will be held. The authorities should understand that despite the fact that the opposition is not yielding to provocations and is doing its best to keep within the frames of peaceful protests, it doesn’t mean that are going to back down," she said in an interview with the Pirveli TV company.
The opposition plans to resume picketing of the parliament on November 26 not to let the lawmakers gather for a plenary session. "If we fail to make the authorities feel maximum uncomfortable and confine ourselves to statements and calls, they will feel nothing. We did not want it but we are forced to be out in the streets in such an unfavorable weather," she added.
Protests in Georgia
The Georgian parliament on November 14 refused to support the idea of constitutional changes concerning the 2020 parliamentary elections on the basis of a proportional system with a zero threshold. Most lawmakers from the ruling party that had initiated the bill opposed this idea.
Angry opposition and civil activists turned out for a large rally in Tbilisi in front of the parliament building. They put the blame entirely on the leader of the ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who had announced transition from the mixed system to the proportional one ahead of the forthcoming elections. Elections on the basis of a proportional system was one of the demands the protesters in front of the Georgian parliament have been pressing since June 20.
Immediately after the voting those members of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party who disagreed with the outcome began to quit the party. By now, eight legislators have handed in their party membership cards. The opposition and civil activists declared open-ended protest demonstrations.
On November 17, the protesters blocked the parliament for the first time. On the following day, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to clear the approaches to the parliament building from the protesters. After the crackdown, the opposition announced another grassroots rally on November 25.