Leaders of the opposition New Rights, Conservatives, Republicans, Labor and Freedom parties met on March 16 and discussed plan of joint actions in respect of their demand to sack Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili over a high-profile murder scandal.

The opposition leaders announced at a joint news conference after the meeting that they will meet with the representatives of the international organization to inform them about as they put it, “wrongdoings by the current authorities.”

“The international community is the only one, whose opinions are taken into consideration by our government,” MP Koba Davitashvili, leader of the Conservatives Party, said.

The opposition also called on the population to gather at a protest rally outside the State Chancellery, where the President’s and government’s offices are located, on March 16. Initially the protest rally was scheduled outside the Interior Ministry.

MP Davit Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said that Merabishvili’s dismissal should also lead to a resignation of the entire cabinet, including PM Zurab Nogaideli, as Merabishvili will be sixth Minister replaced in this cabinet since it was approved in February, 2005. According to the law the entire cabinet should resign if one-third of its members change.

Meanwhile many motorists in Tbilisi honked horns for couple of minutes at exactly 6 pm local time on March 16 to express their protest to the Interior Minister. Several human right groups called on motorists to protest this way.