Tina Bokuchava: July 30 Political Council Meeting Lacked Quorum and Was Not Authorized

Acting Chairperson of the United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, stated that the party’s Political Council meeting held on July 30 was not legally authorized, as it lacked the required quorum.

According to Bokuchava, only around 40 members attended the meeting, while the Political Council consists of 130 members. She stressed that, under the party’s regulations, a quorum is required for the council to adopt decisions, including setting the date of the party congress and approving related procedures.

Bokuchava said she had informed the party’s Secretary General two to three weeks in advance that she would be leaving the city with her family. She noted that the meeting was announced only two days before it took place, at a time when she was already away.

She also stated that neither she, nor any of the party chairperson’s deputies, nor several key regional leaders attended the meeting.

“The information I have received from participants indicates that around 40 people attended the Political Council meeting, which means it was not authorized. If a party congress is convened on the basis of an illegitimate Political Council meeting, it creates serious legal challenges and risks for the party,” Bokuchava said.

According to her, she requested that the party’s Secretary General provide her with the official minutes of the meeting and the attendance signatures, but she has not yet received the documentation and claims her request was denied.

Bokuchava also expressed concern over what she described as possible manipulation of the quorum, including the collection of signatures after the meeting and attempts to count members who were not physically present as participants.

She further stated that, in her view, Secretary General Petre Tsiskarishvili likely acted on instructions from former President Mikheil Saakashvili to convene the party congress as soon as possible.

“This is Mikheil Saakashvili’s party, it always has been and remains so. He has every legitimate right to implement the changes he considers necessary. However, if such an instruction was given, it should have been carried out in full compliance with the party’s rules and the law, not through allegedly falsified signatures,” Bokuchava stated.