Acting Chair Bokuchava declines interim leadership role at UNM congress

Tina Bokuchava, the acting chair of Georgia's opposition United National Movement (UNM), has said she turned down offers to take up positions in the party's new interim leadership, saying her priority is to remain focused on the political struggle rather than holding office.

Speaking at the UNM's 13th party congress on Wednesday, Bokuchava said she had asked that her name not be nominated for any of the temporary leadership positions to avoid creating unnecessary controversy.

"This is a temporary body that will exist for six months. I do not see myself in a temporary governing structure," she said.

Bokuchava said she attended the congress for three reasons - to thank party delegates for the trust they placed in her when they elected her chair two years ago, to reaffirm that political office has never been her primary goal, and to wish success to those assuming responsibility for leading the party.

She said she had again received proposals to take on party positions but believed it was more appropriate to continue working as an ordinary member of the UNM's political council.

Bokuchava also dismissed speculation about her future in the party, saying she had no intention of leaving the United National Movement.

"I am not going anywhere," she said, adding that she would remain a member of the party's political council, which she described as its principal representative decision-making body.

The United National Movement is holding its 13th party congress to elect interim governing bodies as part of a broader internal reform process.