Political Secretary rejects claims that UNM political council meeting lacked legitimacy

Giorgi Baramidze, political secretary of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), has rejected claims that the party's political council meeting on 30 July was illegitimate, saying it had the required quorum to make decisions.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, Baramidze said he was surprised by party chair Tina Bokuchava's remarks questioning the legitimacy of the meeting.

"I was surprised by Tina's statement because there was nothing illegitimate about the meeting. If there had not been a quorum, the meeting would not have taken place," he said.

Baramidze added that the meeting minutes would be distributed to all members of the political council, including Bokuchava if she wished to review them.

He also dismissed criticism directed at the party's secretary general, saying the party's statutes give the secretary general the authority to convene a meeting independently.

"The criticism was focused on the secretary general, but there was no need for any such manoeuvres. Under the party's statutes, the secretary general can convene a meeting with his own signature," Baramidze said.

Bokuchava has argued that only around 40 of the party's 130 political council members attended the 30 July meeting, maintaining that a meeting must be legitimate in order to adopt binding decisions.