Ruling party MP: “no PR campaign will repair” UNM opposition’s “damaged reputation”
Matikashvili claimed the opposition Lelo party was “a part of UNM” given both parties’ “contents and components” were “identical”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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David Matikashvili, an MP for the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the opposition United National Movement party and “its various branches” were “trying to correct their positions through a PR campaign”, an outcome he said was “not possible”.
Matikashvili claimed the opposition Lelo party was “a part of UNM” given both parties’ “contents and components” were “identical”.
They do not spare money to repair their damaged and wrong reputation in any way. The degree of [loss] of their reputation is so high that no matter how successful the PR specialists that are hired [to fix it], it is impossible to do”, he said.
The opposition Lelo party on Tuesday confirmed cooperation with the American PR consultant Jeremy Rosner who cooperated with UNM in 2012.
Beka Davituliani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday slammed the United National Movement party for “creating a storm in a teacup” after the latter called for the country’s Foreign Ministry to formally request observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe for the parliamentary elections in the country later this year.
Gia Volski, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Wednesday claimed a part of the domestic opposition was “unhappy” with the Government's "effective work" that had resulted in absence of evidence suggesting Russia evading international sanctions imposed on it for its invasion of Ukraine through Georgian territory.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Tuesday said the call by the opposition political party For Georgia for the President to be elected by citizens instead of the electoral college was “wrong” as the constitution “cannot be tailored to some political process”.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Human Rights Committee in the Georgian Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed the domestic opposition was “fully aware of [the identity of their colleagues] who had attempted to assure the country’s Western partners not to grant Georgia the European Union membership candidate status” last year.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said citizens of the country “must make a choice not in favour of the war party” - in reference to the opposition United National Movement - but for “peace, tranquillity and economic development”.