Opposition Cancels Planned Rallies due to Tragic Accident in Baghdadi
The opposition has canceled the protest rallies outside parliament scheduled for today. Giorgi Vashadze, the leader of the New Georgia party, wrote about it on social media.
“A few hours ago, a terrible tragedy struck us. A fire broke out in a house on Akaki Tsereteli Street in Baghdadi, killing six people, including four children. First of all, I would like to express my sorrow for this accident. This tragedy is a horrific fact for all of us.
"I would like to express my condolences to the family members and relatives and entire Georgia.
"As you know, we were planning a protest rally at 10 am in front of the parliament, however, this tragedy made us decide to cancel the protest scheduled for February 4 to show respect to the deceased.
"I again express my condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased,” Vashadze wrote.
"The opposition has canceled a planned rally due to the tragedy in Baghdadi, however, protests will resume tomorrow morning," Gigi Ugulava, one of the leaders of European Georgia, told journalists.
He called on lawmakers to postpone today's sitting due to the Baghdadi tragedy as a sign of unanimity.
The tragic accident occurred last night in Baghdadi, Georgia's Imereti region. Six people, including a mother and her four children, were killed in a fire. Reportedly, the woman was pregnant.
What caused fire is unknown at this stage. The two-storey house completely burnt down.
25 firefighters-rescuers worked on the spot. The bodies have been taken to the forensic bureau.
As the Parliament of Georgia officially resumes its legislative activity from today, February 4, the opposition announced the second wave of protests and picketing the state buildings.
However, the opposition representatives changed their plans and canceled the protest rallies scheduled in front of the parliament in respect of the accident.
The protests in Tbilisi were sparked after the rejection of an election bill in November 2019, proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, offering a transition to a fully proportional electoral system from 2020 instead of 2024.
The demonstrators accuse the current state leadership of "breaking its promise and cheating people" as the ruling party agreed to conduct the 2020 parliamentary elections using a fully proportional electoral system, during the internationally renowned June protests in Tbilisi. Protesters demand the second hearing in Parliament regarding the proportional elections, and some are pushing for snap elections.
By Ana Dumbadze
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