“We should immediately finish the bureau session, otherwise an unpleasant ending is inevitable,” Nino Burjanadze, chair of the Georgian parliament, half-jokingly addressed the participants of yesterday’s session. The speaker’s “joke” did contain a good deal of the truth. Somewhat tense relations are discernible between the two wings of the parliamentary majority, which do not abstain from bitter diatribes against each other even when media representatives are in attendance.

Despite the unification session held on November 22, the National Movement and the Democrats cannot agree on a number of issues. At present, a confrontation over so-called “financial amnesty” is on the front burner. The ‘majority of the majority,’ or the National Movement members, headed by MP Giga Bokeria, deputy head of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, think that public servants must not be exempt from criminal prosecution for violations committed in recent years, and, accordingly, the gamut of those amnestied should be small. Bokeria firmly resists the inclusion of governors and Gamgebelis [heads of local governance units], for example, in the list of those qualifying for amnesty.

Parliamentary vice Speaker Mikheil Matchavariani has a different opinion. “We are not adopting an amnesty for honest persons. Honest people did nothing that needs forgiving,” states the Democrats’ co-leader.

A discrepancy of opinions in regards to “financial amnesty” is present within the government as well. Maia Nadiradze, leader of the parliamentary majority, confirms that the minister of the “economic bloc” is inclined towards a large-scale financial amnesty, while the “power” ministers demand that the circle of amnesty be as small as possible.

Nadiradze also notes that almost everybody welcomes the idea of financial amnesty, though it is understood differently and hence the agreement process proceeds rather painfully.

“This is a situation when you want to do it but it is painful,” states the parliamentary majority leader.

On the other hand, the government and the parliamentary majority have nearly agreed on a version acceptable for both at a recent closed faction session. But later on the Finance Ministry broke the agreement and presented the bill it favored before the supreme legislative branch.

“The government broke the agreement, which allows me oppose the version offered by the executive branch,” Giga Bokeria noted, freed from partisan and faction “bonds.”

But whatever the ending of the public excitement concerning financial amnesty, it is unlikely that the government will gain anything from this double-edge sword: if the amnesty is large-scale, this would bring about discontent in a certain part of the public, claiming that the government had promised to punish wrongdoers and return stolen property to the people. On the other hand, if amnesty touches only upon a small circle, then a tainted impression could emerge concerning the nature of the clemency.

Consequently, the MPs have already started saying that it would be advisable to postpone the financial amnesty for six or 12 months, while during this period law enforcers would have the opportunity to inspect the financial activities of all “suspicious individuals.”

A question arises: what will happen if the government does not take into account the opinions of the “majority’s majority?” As it seems, MPs also reflect on the possibility of events developing this way. Valeri Gelbakhiani, single mandate MP of the Sachkhere district, thinks that if “the governmental version does not pass then the executive branch should raise the issue of trust towards parliament...”

The fate of financial amnesty will be determined in several days. According to Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, it will be decided on Friday whether the bill will be submitted or not on a plenary session.

Confrontation within the ruling team refers not only to the divergence of standpoints over financial amnesty. The level of resistance will be even higher when the discussion of the new Tax Code and the 2005 state budget will commence with the second hearing in parliament.

The parliamentary heads presumed that extraordinary sessions would have been held next week to review the draft tax law, but it appears that “the government and the majority so far are not ready for this” – as Burjanadze has noted.

Uncertainty persists over the 2005 budget, too. The parliamentary chairperson demands that the executive government immediately present the document.

“If the budgetary project is submitted a week before the New Year, we simply will not be able to adopt it this year,” Burjanadze warned the government.