The pre-election meetings of Levan Gachechiladze, presidential candidate of the United Public Movement, with the citizens of Samegrelo ended in an incident. After Chkhorotsku and Tsalenjikha the government tried to provoke the dispersal of peaceful manifestation using the activists of the National Movement in Zugdidi. Unlike October 28, when the leaders of the United Opposition were beaten, new faces appeared at the demonstration on December 26th, but at the backstage Georgian celebrities were seen.
The Chronic of the Day
11:00 AM. Chkhorotsku
Before Levan Gachechiladze and other opposition leaders arrive in Chkhorotsku local population learned that law enforcers did not allow people to attend the meeting with the presidential candidate. The worried people gathered in the village of Lesechine. All transport means were blocked, the drivers were threatened.
Avto Kvaratskhelia, the driver: “They could not frighten only me. They blocked three mini-buses and suppressed drivers. They were warned not to move their cars from the place. Law enforcers are furious…Gocha Lemonjava, the Foti vice Mayor, threatens people; he was born in Lesechine and the government ordered him to take control of the village.”
Before the meeting started in the Culture Hose in Chkhorotsku, local people offered Elarji (Megrelian food) and red wine to Gachechiladze and his companions in the village center…In parallel to it representatives of the local government and policemen lock teacher Naira Tsimintia and her pupils in the classroom who planned to play composition for the guests…As soon as meeting started, the teacher and her pupils were released. “They visited my pupils at home and threatened their parents with sacking their children from school. Children are panicked.”
12:00 PM
Levan Gachechiladze started meeting with the voters in Culture House of Chkhorotsku. The hall is overcrowded. Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, the leader of the political movement “Tavisufleba” appealed to the people. He mentioned secrete recordings of Kodua-Patarkatsishvili’s conversation.
Zviad Dzidziguri, member of Conservative party, interprets the pre-election TV advertisements of Mikheil Saakashvili. “Saakashvili could not notice impoverished, sick and hungry people until now. Everybody has witnessed how he is crying but why did not he start crying earlier?! Has he remembered about fire wood and wheat flour only now? Accept all his presents and demand even more but do not vote for him.”
2:00 PM Tsalenjikha
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia stated in Tsalenjikha that Saakashvili, Merabishvili, Gorozia, Nadiradze and others were born with wires of recording apparatus instead of umbilicus. “There is no single molecule in the blood of these people without sickle and hammer…they were born to be Bolsheviks.”
Tina Khidasheli, member of republic party: “The feeling we have taken from here is the most important and most necessary to get sure in our victory. The only thing they could find to oppose us was to create a plot theory in which we are all involved in. They claim that opposition is planning terrible things. Here, in Samgrelo people know the truth best of all. Your people became victims of November 7 events. The tutor of our current government developed similar ideology in Georgia during 90s.”
3: 30 PM Zugdidi
Levan Gachechiladze and other leaders of opposition drove into the town with signals. They drove round the main avenue and then brought crown to Zviad Gamsakhurdia’s statue… Konstantine Gamsakhurdia introduced Levan Gachechiladze to Zugdidi residents. “He has honorable background, present and future. He is a man who knows how to love and fight for his people…”
Leader of political movement “Tavisufleba” spoke about the secret recordings again. “I want to state to both sides! Similar methods are completely unacceptable for us and will never be either. We think that similar struggle will not bring any good to Georgia. It will result only into decrease and it will be worse situation that it was during Shevardnadze, the guardian of Mikheil Saakashvili.”
Levan Gachechiladze, presidential candidate: “People say in Tbilisi if Zugdidi population accepts you well your fate will be settled in elections. Nobody can frighten us. We will win on January 5 and I will be the first who will congratulate you with it… It is impossible to listen to everybody’s telephone and make secrete records of those conversations. Everything cannot be considered an attempt of an overthrow. Mikheil Saakashvili is going to do exactly that what is called an overthrow. He will not succeed. January 5 will be the end of his regime. God blessed us with the number 1 and I will be your first soldier in the united Georgia.”
4: 45 PM
Manifestation against violence and falsification started from the stadium and finished at Ilia Chavchavadze’s Statue…thousands of people expressed their protest loudly.
5:00 PM
Except Konstantine Gamsakhurdia all opposition leaders left Zugdidi. Gamsakhurdia went to the office of ‘Tavisufleba”…He found Saakashvili’s election poster on his car…Activists from the election office of Mikheil Saakashvili approached him and tried to provoke him. The young activists tried to attack security guard of Gamsakhurdia…
Kakha Mikaia, the head of Levan Gachechiladze’s election office in Zugdidi, said that the incident was provoked by local authority. “Both demonstration and then manifestation made the national movement members furious; we repeated October 28…Despite suppression strong demonstrations were held in Samagrelo region. National Movement is arranging a set of provocations. We do not need to demonstrate our muscles against somebody. They have already received corresponding reply from us…they will not dare to assault us.”
Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi
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