05 November 2007, 11:20
Experts think that Saakashvili's performance failed to meet expectations of the people of Georgia
In the opinion of Archil Gegeshidze, an expert of the Georgian Foundation of Strategic and International Studies, the November 4 interview of President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili failed to meet the expectations of the people who heard nothing new.
President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili who spoke on air of the "Rustavi-2" TV Company refused to satisfy the demands of the opposition as to the date of elections. Mikhail Saakashvili also called the protest action of the opposition to be a "mediocre imitation of the 'Revolution of Roses'", managed by Russian oligarchs.
Saakashvili's statements caused a storm of indignation among the opposition, and the participants of the meeting made certain corrections in the list of their demands.
On November 4, the united opposition of Georgia renewed the protest action in front of the building of Parliament in the Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, having expanded the list of their demands to the authorities.
As of today, the opposition of Georgia is already putting forward five demands to the authorities: 1) resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili; 2) parliamentary elections in April 2008; 3) change of the principle of holding the majority elections; 4) change of the formation principle of the electoral commissions; and 5) release of "political prisoners", who, as the opposition is convinced, are kept in Georgian prisons.
Levan Gachechiladze, one of the leaders of the opposition and deputy of the Parliament of Georgia, has announced a termless hunger strike till the demands of the protesters are satisfied. Paata Davitaya, leader of the Movement "We Ourselves", and several more oppositionists has declared that they will join the hunger strike action.
Author: Edita Badasian, CK correspondent
