Georgian President Pardons Two Opposition Party Leaders

Mikhail Kavelashvili explained the decision to release political prisoners by the desire for "competitive elections".

Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili on Friday, September 5, pardoned leaders of the "Lelo - Strong Georgia" coalition Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. The authorities attributed their decision to a desire to hold more competitive municipal elections on October 4 amid the imprisonment of a number of opposition leaders. According to Kavelashvili, "no one should have grounds to say that the elections are being held in non-competitive conditions."

The decision drew criticism from within the opposition. Khazaradze and Japaridze themselves called the pardon a "dirty political act," an attempt at "manipulation" and a means to split the opposition. Representatives of several parties called on Lelo to refuse to participate in the elections, believing that the release is not a gesture of goodwill, but a tool to legitimize the process. They also called on Kavelashvili to pardon all opposition leaders.

The Georgian president had earlier offered opposition prisoners a pardon in return for agreeing to participate in the elections, but officially all of them refused. "Lelo" as well as the "Gakharia - For Georgia" party nominated candidates for the vote. After his release, Khazaradze stated that he had not asked the authorities for a pardon.

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