Members of the Batumi branch of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party in the country in power between 2004-2012, Giorgi Kirtadze and Mirdat Kamadadze, have officially departed from the party. Seven members of the party also left the UNM faction in Batumi City Assembly.
Kirtadze, speaking at a press briefing, revealed that in the event of Nika Melia, the former UNM chair, founding a new party, they would align themselves with it.
“We have made the challenging decision to part ways with the party. While remaining steadfast in our commitment to the ideals of the Rose Revolution, we will now channel our efforts from a new platform. The public will be informed of the specifics gradually in the near future.
This new platform might align with the pro-Western opposition spectrum, although a final decision is yet to be reached”, Kirtadze said.
Further added communication with Melia led to this decision, and it was finalized yesterday. “Nika will disclose further details shortly, and should he establish a new party, we are unequivocally set to join,” he reaffirmed.
Controversies in the UNM began after the clandestine return of former President Mikheil Saakashvili to Georgia in September 2021 and his subsequent arrest in October for abuse of power charges while in office.
Levan Khabeishvili, seen as Saakashvili’s ally, defeated Melia in the chairmanship race in January, causing further tension inside the party, with the latter accusing the incumbent chair of being a “puppet” in the hands of former UNM officials.
