From: EurasiaDigest (digest@eurasianet.org)
Date: Fri May 02 2008 - 15:21:12 EDT
GEORGIAN OPPOSITIONISTS CLASH WITH POLICE
A group of Georgian opposition activists, including defeated opposition
presidential candidate Levan Gachechiladze, clashed with police in
Tbilisi on the evening of May 1 outside the building of the Central
Election Commission (CEC), civil.ge reported. The opposition is lobbying
for the dismissal of CEC Chairman Levan Tarkhnishvili, whom it suspects
of preparing to rig the outcome of the May 21 parliamentary ballot in
favor of the ruling United National Movement. Also on May 1, Gogi
Topadze told journalists that the Industry Will Save Georgia party that
he founded and heads may withdraw from the ballot unless what he termed
"intimidation" of its candidates ceases, civil.ge reported. The party
aligned with the National Democratic Party and the Ertoba (Unity) party
in a bloc named Rightist Alliance-Topadze Industrialists, and has
nominated candidates in 28 of the 75 single-mandate constituencies. LF
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