Georgian Government May Tighten Screws on Political Party Donors

A YouTube video that sparked government accusations about Russian financing for recent opposition street protests appears to have prompted a proposal by President Mikheil Saakasvhili for changes in regulations on political party financing.

The president did not elaborate about his plan.

In televised comments, however, members of his United National Movement Party claimed that the changes would provide greater transparency for donations to political parties. Georgian media largely eschews the hunt for verified information about what companies or individuals finance the United National Movement or opposition parties.

"We have all seen yesterday that this process needs transparency," Parliamentary Judicial Committee Chairman Pavle Kublashvili told reporters, referring to a YouTube video clip that showed opposition leaders Levan Gachechiladze and Davit Gamkrelidze meeting with exiled former Interior Minister Kakha Targamadze.

Kublashvili claimed that Targamadze, who lives in Moscow, acted as a middleman to deliver "Russian money" to the opposition. Targamadze, Gachechiladze and Gamkrelidze have all vehemently denied the charge.

Other leaders of Georgia's motley opposition movement expressed concern about changes -- for now, still undefined -- in regulations on political contributions.

Eka Beselia, a leader of ex-Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili's Movement for a United Georgia, said that the government will use the scandal and the rules as a bargaining chip in its dealings with the opposition. "This is going to translate into haggling and punishment of [the government's] political opponents," she claimed.