ABC Gerry Georgatos has withdrawn from the Senate election days after replacing Julian Assange. <\/p>\n
There has been another change to the Wikileaks Party team for the WA Senate election after Julian Assange was ruled out and the endorsed candidate pulled out. <\/p>\n
This week, Gerry Georgatos was announced as the lead candidate after Mr Assange was not allowed to run. <\/p>\n
But following a media story which detailed Mr Georgatos' belief convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby was innocent of trying to take cannabis into Bali in 2004, he withdrew from the race. <\/p>\n
He says he decided to pull out for \"personal reasons\" and denies it has anything to do with the fact he believes Corby is innocent. <\/p>\n
Mr Georgatos also says the party has backed his stance. <\/p>\n
Everyone on the Wikileaks national council has been supportive of me on that [support of Schapelle Corby's innocence], Mr Georgatos said. <\/p>\n
He said he would have preferred that Julian Assange, the original choice, be the lead candidate but the party was recently told by the AEC that he was ineligible to run. <\/p>\n
Mr Georgatos, a long time social justice campaigner, courted controversy when he ran for the Senate last year and decided the WA Wikileaks branch would go it alone on preferences. <\/p>\n
He directed preferences to the Nationals rather than the Greens despite Senator Scott Ludlams strong support for Wikileaks and Julian Assange. <\/p>\n
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