Ex-Pres Saakashvili proposes Reformers' Council to ‘fundamentally transform’ UNM

Georgia's imprisoned former president Mikheil Saakashvili has proposed creating a Reformers' Council to oversee the fundamental transformation of the opposition United National Movement and effectively build a new party structure.

Saakashvili said he would chair the council, while former TV anchor Nanuka Zhorzholiani would serve as its executive secretary.

Writing on social media on Wednessay, Saakashvili said discussions over the future of the United National Movement had intensified in recent weeks and argued that public dissatisfaction with the current state of the opposition demonstrated the need for systemic reforms.

He said the terms of all UNM officials expired on 8 July under the party's statute and announced a transitional period ahead of internal reforms.

According to Saakashvili, a party congress will be held at the end of July to elect a temporary governing body. He said currently imprisoned leader Levan Khabeishvili should be the only official to retain his formal position while he remains in prison.

"I propose creating a Reformers' Council that will effectively build a new party and carry out the fundamental transformation of the United National Movement, bringing it into a new fighting shape," Saakashvili wrote.

He said the council would operate as a public platform open not only to party members but also to professionals and what he described as patriots who had previously remained outside the party.

Saakashvili said the reformed movement should prioritise young people and new political figures, while the council itself would have a horizontal structure in which all members would be equal and independent.

He said Zhorzholiani would serve as his main link with emerging political leaders and wider society because his imprisonment had limited his ability to communicate directly with them.

The Reformers' Council will present a plan for the party's fundamental transformation in the autumn, according to Saakashvili.

He said the restructured movement would become more decentralised, with decisions involving all members and active supporters, fewer formal positions and internal structures elected and replaceable through general votes.

"Our goal is not to compete with others or engage in pointless debates, but to focus on removing the dictatorship, saving Georgia at this extremely difficult historical moment and returning the country to the path of major reforms," Saakashvili wrote.