Opposition parties unite ahead of local government elections

Georgian non-parliament opposition Christian-Democratic Movement party are joining the Democratic Movement – United Georgia party, led by the country’s ex- Parliament speaker and Presidential candidate Nino Burjanadze.

According to Christian-Democrat leader Giorgi Akhvlediani, his party and Nino Burjanadze’s movement would form a coalition for the upcoming local government elections scheduled to be held on June 15 this year.

"We continue to negotiate with other political forces to join the forming coalition. We hope that in one week we will have the presentation of our new-born child and you will hear the name of the union,” Akhvlediani stated at a press-conference today.

Political experts named "New Rights” among the parties that might join the forming coalition. One of the party’s leaders Mamuka Katsitadze confirmed New Rights had participated in the negotiation and supported the idea of a non-parliament opposition union.

Christian-Democratic Movement was founded by former journalist Giorgi Targamadze in 2008. The party gained 8.7 percent of the votes in same year’s Parliament elections, which made the Christian-Democrat party the largest opposition party and Targamadze became the leader of Parliament minority. 

Many of Georgia's opposition politicians refused to consider Targamadze as a real opposition politician and accused him of being controlled by United National Movement.

The founder of present-day ruling Georgian Dream coalition called Targamadze’s political career as "an example of treachery”. Christian-Democrats did not join the coalition and suffered major defeat in the 2012 Parliament elections when it gained only 2 percent of the votes. 

Targamadze was a candidate in the 2013 Presidential elections and gained about 1 percent support. Burjanadze, who also stood as a candidate, gathered more than 10 percent of the votes and continued to act as a non-parliament opposition after the elections. Meanwhile Targamadze announced he would leave politics earlier this week.

Christian-Democrats are known to support Georgia’s pro-Western course and its aspiration to join NATO. On the contrary, many consider Burjanadze as a pro-Russian politician skeptical to Euro-Atlantic integration of Georgia.