UNM opposition condemns arrest of party leader as ‘attempt to establish dictatorship’

The Georgian opposition has condemned the arrest of Levan Khabeishvili, a senior figure in the United National Movement (UNM), describing it as “part of an effort” by billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party,Bidzina Ivanishvili, to consolidate power.

Giorgi Baramidze, UNM’s political secretary, on Tuesday said the arrest on what he called “absurd charges” was denounced by the European People’s Party (EPP), Europe’s largest alliance of centre-right Christian-democratic parties. He argued that the comments from the EPP signaled the regime’s move towards a “Russian-style dictatorship.”

“Everyone should understand what these words mean. Europe’s largest political grouping is once again criticising Ivanishvili’s regime and warning that it is taking Georgia towards a Russian-style dictatorship,” Baramidze said.

He added that similar criticisms had been voiced previously by other major European political parties, often through resolutions condemning what they describe as the authoritarian tendencies of Ivanishvili’s government. Baramidze also urged the authorities to “stop betraying Georgia’s national interests and halt the transformation of the country into a dictatorship.”