UNM opposition calls for impeachment of Gori city assembly head over NYT interview

Opposition figures from the United National Movement (UNM) have demanded the impeachment of David Razmadze, chairman of the Gori city assembly in central Georgia, and a member of the governing Georgian Dream party. They on Thursday accused him of betraying national memory and showing disrespect to Georgian servicemembers killed in the 2008 war with Russia.

The UNM’s deputy secretary general, Irakli Pavlenishvili, described Razmadze as a “traitor” who had “called Georgian heroes hooligans” and said his removal from office was a matter of principle.

The criticism has followed the publication of a lengthy New York Times feature, How Georgia Went From the Vanguard of Democracy to the Front Lines of Autocracy, in which Razmadze was quoted as blaming former president Mikheil Saakashvili for provoking the 2008 conflict. According to the article, Razmadze argued that Saakashvili bore responsibility for many of Georgia’s problems, rather than Vladimir Putin or the Kremlin.

Pavlenishvili’s statement also included criticism of For Georgia, the party founded by former prime minister Giorgi Gakharia. He accused its members in the Gori municipal assembly of refusing to support Razmadze’s impeachment and of lying about their stance.

The For Georgia party has rejected claims that its representatives in Gori’s city assembly planned to oppose the impeachment of the assembly chairman.

In a statement, the party dismissed the allegation made by leaders of the UNM as “false and deliberately spread to discredit our party, serving only the interests of Georgian Dream.”

“It is regrettable that UNM leaders have turned into Georgian Dream’s trolls. Our faction in Gori city assembly will support the impeachment of the chairman,” the statement said.

Razmadze has since rejected claims that he referred to Russian troops as “peacekeepers”, insisting that his comments were misrepresented. “My words were distorted in the article,” he said, accusing opponents of exploiting the controversy for political gain.