Alice Bungisngis and her Wonder Walis

Giorgi Targamadze (born November 22, 1973 in Tbilisi^[1]) is an Orthodox nationalist politician and the Leader of the Christian-Democratic Movement of Georgia, the largest opposition party in parliament, second to the current governing party, the United National Movement.^[2] As such, he holds the title of Leader of the Parliamentary Minority. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2003 representing the party of Adjaran authoritarian strongman Aslan Abashidze who oversaw dozens of human rights violations. Before being elected as an MP, Targamadze served as the Head of Abashidze's Supreme Court Press Service. ^[3]

After Abashidze was forced to flee and the rebel area was regained by Georgia ^[4] , Targamadze joined Imedi TV as a journalist, working for oligarch Badri Patarkatsishvili. But Imedi TV was focibly closed in 2007 when President Saakashvili’s government accused them of trying to overthrow the government ^[5]. A tape had Patarkatsishvili offering $100 million to someone to kill the Interior Minister. ^[6]

A few months later, in January 2008, Targamadze announced his intention to start his own party, Christian Democratic Movement of Georgia with religion as a central issue. His party has moved that Georgian Orthodoxy be declared the official religion of the country ^[7] and that the Orthodox Church should have a strategic role in the National Security Concept. ^[8] Christian Democrat lawmakers left parliament in protest during a discussion of recognizing Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism as churches (previously they were registered as NGOs). ^[9]

Bidzina Ivanishvili, oligarch and leader of the Georgian Dream movement, stated publicly that he would not work with Targamadze’s because of his “numerous suspicious moments”. ^[10]

He is a graduate of Tbilisi State University and is married with two children.

References

1. ^ "Targamadze Giorgi". Parliament of Georgia. http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=ENG&sec_id=2&cevri_id=1958. Retrieved 2011-12-12. 
2. ^ "Giorgi Targamadze, Chairman, Christian-Democratic Movement, Georgia". British Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00khv2w. Retrieved 2011-12-12. 
3. ^ http://tbilisiblues.blogspot.com/2009/04/who-is-giorgi-targamadze.html
4. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/07/world/georgia-regains-region-that-sought-to-secede.html?ref=aslanabashidze
5. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903EEDE173DF933A25752C1A9619C8B63&scp=8&sq=badri%20patarkatsishvili&st=cse
6. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/europe/11georgia.html?scp=1&sq=badri%20patarkatsishvili&st=cse
7. ^ http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=17060
8. ^ http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=24299
9. ^ http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=23708
10. ^ http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=24023

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