UNM’s Bokuchava: reset of relations only possible under democratic, legitimate gov’t

The chair of Georgia’s opposition United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, has said relations with international partners can only be reset once Georgia has a “democratic and legitimate government”.

The opposition leader claimed that Georgia currently has more political prisoners per capita than Vladimir Putin’s Russia, calling the figure “unprecedented”.

Bokuchava also accused ruling party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili of seeking to establish a style of governance similar to that of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

She argued that, unlike Belarus, Georgia’s relationship with the United States had historically been based on shared democratic values and strategic partnership.

According to Bokuchava, these principles have eroded and attempts to model governance on authoritarian systems would not succeed.

“A reset in relations will only happen when Georgia has a democratic and legitimate government that represents its people,” she said.