Ruling party MP: For Georgia must prove it is not politically aligned with UNM

Georgia’s parliamentary majority leader, Irakli Kirtskhalia, has criticised lawmakers from the For Georgia opposition party as they participated in a plenary session for the first time, arguing that the group “must now demonstrate it is not politically aligned with the opposition United National Movement (UNM).”

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Kirtskhalia said the party led by former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia had entered the legislature after a long delay for reasons “that had become increasingly clear over the past year.” According to him, the party’s actions placed it on the same political flank as the UNM.

He added that the ruling Georgian Dream party had respected the will of For Georgia’s voters by allowing the MPs to take up their seats, despite his allegation that the party had misled supporters when portraying itself as a distinct political alternative.

Kirtskhalia referenced the party’s reduced support in subsequent local elections as evidence that the public had recognised this shift. He also criticised the decision by Gakharia’s team to sign a joint letter to Brussels after the parliamentary elections, a move repeatedly described by Georgian Dream as damaging to national interests.

“From today, for the next three years, you will have to prove every day that you are not aligned with the UNM,” he told the MPs.

Gakharia resigned as prime minister in 2021 and established the For Georgia party soon after, presenting it as a centrist movement committed to reform. The party has denied any cooperation with the UNM and rejected the ruling party’s accusations as politically motivated.