On October 24, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili held a closed-door meeting with women representatives of the opposition parties. This continues the President’s meetings with civil society organizations and opposition representatives that she had during and after the failed impeachment attempt by the ruling party.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the participating MPs said the discussion revolved around Georgia’s EU candidacy. Despite some media expectations, there was no clarity after the meeting on whether the President intends to continue her foreign visits nor whether she will veto the controversial amendments to the Broadcasting Law. Despite speculations that following the defeat of the veto motion at the Parliament, President Zurabishvili would try to compose a new, pro-EU alliance of political forces, the MPs said this issue was not discussed.
Participant Comments
Salome Samadashvili, from the Lelo party, said they discussed ” how to achieve the intensification of efforts to gain political support in the European Union,” because, she said “in the report by the European Commission on November 8 there will be no call for granting the candidate status to the country, because “Georgian Dream” did not meet any requirements for it.”
Commenting on President Zurabishvili’s plans, Samadashvili stated: “The President herself will present her plans to the public shortly” adding only that the President intends “to continue to take appropriate measures to secure the European future.”
Tamar Kordzaia, independent MP, said: “[The President] said that she is ready to do everything to ensure that Georgia does not lose its candidate status and European perspective,” and will explain the details herself. She pledged support to the President who intends to use “all contacts at the international level in all directions” to achieve that end. MP Kordzaia said the President “should veto” the amendments to the Broadcasting Law, but Zurabishvili “has not taken a final position” on this matter.
MP Khatia Dekanoidze, political group “Euro-optimists” explained that the President won’t allow “threats and legal charges taken off-the-shelf” by the government to “affect her” and intends to continue to work for the European future. MP Dekanoidze said they did not discuss Salome Zurabishvili’s political plans or alliances, focusing on the need to “speed up” the country’s European integration.
MP Ana Tsitlidze, UNM, confirmed: “There was no discussion of the President’s political and electoral plans at this meeting.” MP Tsitlidze said that she also advocated for a Presidential veto on the Broadcasting Law.
MP Khatuna Samnidze, the Chairperson of the Republican party, agreed that the main topic was EU candidacy and that the President is impervious to threats by the “Georgian Dream.” “She intends to continue protecting the country’s European status with her political steps and decisions. The discussion was about how she sees our mandate,” MP Samnidze said, adding “The main issue is the European status, and in this direction, we stand together”.
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