UNM’s Bokuchava says she is unlikely to seek party chairmanship

Tina Bokuchava on Thursday said she intends to remain a member of Georgia's opposition United National Movement (UNM) but is unlikely to stand for the party's chairmanship as it considers changes to its leadership structure.

Speaking to TV Pirveli, Bokuchava said she would continue working for the party even if former President Mikheil Saakashvili pursues a new organisational model within the UNM.

“If Saakashvili wants to establish a new structure within the party, I will continue my work as an ordinary member, fighting for a better future for my country, for Georgia's European Union membership and for a brighter future for our children,” she said.

Bokuchava also said she does not expect to join the proposed Reformers’ Council, arguing that the body should be composed of non-party figures if it is to operate independently from the party's formal structures.

She noted that her two-year mandate, granted by the party congress, expired on Wednesday. Under the party's statutes, she said, she will continue serving as acting chair until a new party congress elects a successor.

Bokuchava argued that the post of party chair cannot simply be abolished because Georgian legislation governing political parties requires every registered party to have a designated leader, a collective decision-making body and an audit or supervisory body.

She said any organisational reforms must comply with those legal requirements to avoid giving the authorities grounds to challenge the party's legal registration.

Referring to proposals put forward by the imprisoned former president Saakashvili, Bokuchava said she supports the idea that only the chair of the party's political council should retain a formal leadership position, adding that this reflected the fact that former UNM chair Levan Khabeishvili is currently imprisoned.

She added that if Khabeishvili is to head the political council, the party must maintain such a governing body as part of its official structure.

Separately, television presenter and UNM member Nanuka Zhorzholiani said abolishing the position of party chair is not currently under consideration. Instead, she said, discussions are focused on establishing a temporary six-month governing group until internal party elections are held.

Earlier, Saakashvili announced plans to establish a Reforms’ Council, which he said he would lead as chair while Zhorzholiani would serve as its executive secretary.