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Monday, 20 May 2002
OPPOSITION LEADER, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT TRADE CHARGES
By empty (5/20/2002 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In his traditional Monday radio broadcast, President Shevardnadze said on 20 May that he considers the local election slogan of the opposition National Movement-Democratic Front (EMDP) headed by Mikhail Saakashvili, which advocates \"Georgia Without Shevardnadze\" as anticonstitutional, illegal, and intended to destabilize the domestic political situation. Shevardnadze stressed that he was popularly elected, and expressed doubt that the population at large would support the EMDP slogan. Saakashvili for his part responded the same day that in a democratic society everyone has the right to criticize the president if such criticism is merited.
In his traditional Monday radio broadcast, President Shevardnadze said on 20 May that he considers the local election slogan of the opposition National Movement-Democratic Front (EMDP) headed by Mikhail Saakashvili, which advocates \"Georgia Without Shevardnadze\" as anticonstitutional, illegal, and intended to destabilize the domestic political situation. Shevardnadze stressed that he was popularly elected, and expressed doubt that the population at large would support the EMDP slogan. Saakashvili for his part responded the same day that in a democratic society everyone has the right to criticize the president if such criticism is merited. He added that his movement will continue to campaign for Shevardnadze\'s removal, but will not resort to violence to that end. (Caucasus Press)