UNM head Melia: postponing of elections is not in opposition’s interests

The head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia says that the postponement of the October 2 municipal elections due to a severe epidemiological situation is not in the interests of the opposition as the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the government want to show this. 

GD officials and Georgian PM Irakli Garibashvili stated today that the opposition parties are ‘actively campaigning’ for the postponement of the elections ‘because they are afraid of an inevitable failure.’ 

Garibashvili also said that the opposition even ‘used the Public Defender’s office’ to push the government to declare the state of emergency which will automatically lead to the postponement of elections. 

“This will not happen,” Garibashvili said earlier today, while the GD head Irakli Kobakhidze stated that what Lomjaria said was ‘anomalous.’ 

Melia says that the country’s health officials must say whether the elections should or should not be postponed. 

“It is my position that the country’s coordinating council on coronavirus issues should make its prognosis. The government is unable to curb the spread of the virus and is engaged with making propagandist statements to shift the public attention on other issues,” Melia said. 

Georgian Public Defender Nino Lomjaria has urged the government to postpone the elections and put the public health and human lives above their political interests. 

Georgia is taking a leading position worldwide for daily coronavirus cases and deaths. 

Starting July daily infections are surging in the country, hitting around 4,000-5,000, while daily Covid-19 deaths are 50-60 on average.