June 13 , 2008
Civil Georgia

The Christian-Democratic Party’s memorandum was just a pretext used by the party to justify its decision not to boycott the Parliament, Davit Usupashvili, the Republican Party leader, said on June 13.

When the Christian-Democratic Party informed us about this memorandum we’ve told them about our negative position about it,” Usupashvili told journalists. “When one tries to use it [the memorandum] for justifying entering into the new parliament, it [the document] can not serve as an anti-crisis memorandum [as the Christian-Democrats called it]; the matter was not worth of such a hype that was stirred about this document.”

He also said: “As it seems the anti-crisis program will be developed outside the Parliament rather than inside” – suggesting that it would be developed by those political groups that have refused to enter the new parliament, either failed to clear the 5% threshold. The Republican Party has received 3.78% of votes in the May 21 parliamentary elections.

The Republican Party also said it would be in favor of holding the early local elections next spring. Local elections should be held in 2010.