Georgia’s opposition groups are preparing for Bush’s visit on May 10 with one party planning protests. The point isn’t to protest Bush’s visit though, but to draw attention to opposition grievances with the Saakashvili government.
The Labor Party appears to be the sole extra-parliamentary opposition group that plans to stage a protest rally outside the parliamentary building to draw President Bush’s attention to their concerns. Labor Party leader Shalva Natelashvili observed that Bush is not Saakashvili’s personal guest, but rather “He is the guest of the Georgian nation.” The Labor rally is planned under the motto: “Down with Saakashvili’s dictatorship!” “Welcome President Bush!”
So far none of the major opposition movements has joined the Labor initiative, except for the small League of People’s Protection, which recently submitted a motion to parliament — with the 34,000 signatures that requires the legislature to put the issue to a vote — demanding that Georgia withdraw troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Just about everyone in Georgia has their own ideas as to what Bush will focus on when he talks to Saakashvili. Read the rest of the article to find out.
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Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.