Post-Easter Political Landscape

Demand of those opposition parties, which are behind the ongoing protest rallies, to hold talks on terms of President Saakashvili's resignation is "an ultimatum" and can not serve as a basis for a dialogue, Davit Bakradze, the parliamentary chairman, said on April 21. Dialogue does not mean communications only with a radical wing of opposition, Mr. Bakradze further declared today, prior to the beginning of a meeting with representatives of intelligentsia in hotel "Sheraton Metekhi Palace". 'The Government continues meetings with the representatives of society. The key for the authorities is to know opinion of society on processes ongoing in the country, and also steps which the government should undertake"

Protesters reconvened outside the Parliament at 3pm on Tuesday for, as the opposition says, decisive stage of its campaign to force President Saakashvili to resign. On April 20 leaders of opposition parties, which are behind the ongoing protests, gathered in the office of Conservative Party to discus the action plan. After the meeting the opposition leaders underlined that supporters from eastern Georgia would join the rally in Tbilisi from April 21 and from other provinces in following days.

The opposition plans to announce some of the details of its action plan at the rally outside the Parliament. Irakli Alasania, leader Alliance for Georgia, reiterated in an interview with the Georgian weekly, Kviris Palitra that the opposition was ready to meet with President Saakashvili and listen to his arguments and proposals of overcoming the current crisis. "This, however, does not at all mean that the opposition is giving up its demand for the President's resignation," Mr. Alasania, however, added: "Eventually, no matter how things may develop, each of us should remember that the country's interests are supreme and we should put these interests above of all the demands."

Interestingly, the opposition leaders behind the ongoing protest rallies reiterated in a joint written statement on April 18, that they would not step back from their demand of President Saakashvili's resignation. The statement was read out for the press by Davit Usupashvili, leader of Republican Party, part of Alliance for Georgia, in presence of other opposition leaders. The opposition leaders came up with the joint statement apparently in an attempt to rebut recent speculation about differences among them over the agenda of a meeting if such takes place between them and President Saakashvili.