The opposition in wait for crucial changes to come

Georgian opposition is quite optimistic about crucial changes to follow the inauguration of the new president of the USA Barack Obama on January 20.

Almost all representatives of the opposition believe that Mikheil Saakashvili has lost Washington support he had at the time of George Bush's governance.

"The main support of Saakashvili's regime came from the White House all these years and now it is over", - "The People's Party" leader Koba Davitashvili stated in "Barrier" evening talk show live on "Kavkasia" TV.

According to him Saakashvili managed to come to power only thanks to 100% support from Washington with Moscow standing neutral. Now following Barack Obama's assumption of office a lot of things will change and the USA will not interfere in Georgia's internal affairs.

Speaking about internal affairs the "New Rights" party's opinion was expressed by one of its leaders Mamuka Katsitadze: "Saakashvili's withdrawal from power is a mandatory condition of Georgia's further growth but it is not enough". He explained - this is the first and major demand of most oppositional forces that consider Saakashvili the source of crisis and all the troubles Georgia has to go through.

Katsitadze also noted that the document announced by the opposition and consisting of three clauses for now (Saakashvili's resignation, early elections and arrangement of conditions for free elections) had not been accomplished yet, its elaboration was still in progress. He also called on everyone who is unindifferent to the country's future to join the work on the document and accede to it.

He acknowledged that the Georgian opposition had made a lot of mistakes and had not managed to become a united force as the "National movement" used to be (Mikheil Saakashvili's party). At the same time Katsitadze believes the opponents of the current regime are learning from their own mistakes and make proper conclusions. "The Rights" place great hopes on the USA's new administration also stating that now Saakashvili has no such a worldwide lobbyist as George Bush used to be.

The laborists are convinced that Saakashvili will leave very soon, or to be more precise, he will be picked up by his Western patrons. However they warn about possible Misha‘s replacement by "Misha-2".

"We must not permit Saakashvili to surrender power to his "successor" as it was done by Edward Shevarnadze who acquired safe-conduct and a quiet life in Krtsanisskaya residence", - the Labor party Secretary General Iosif Shatberashvili stated.

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