UNM leader Giorgi Vashadze quits political party
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One of the most influential figures of opposition United National Movement (UNM) Giorgi Vashadze has quit the political party today, claiming UNM has turned into a "closed system without new initiatives”.
At a special press conference this afternoon Vashadze, who served as head of the Public Registry Agency and Deputy Minister of Justice during the former government, said he planned to establish a new political group that would serve the people of Georgia.
He said only a new political movement full of "new faces with good qualifications and fresh energy” could provide genuine changes in the country – changes both UNM in its current state and the ruling Georgian Dream coalition (GD) both failed to achieve.
People waited for news, innovations and new initiatives from UNM but it's been in vain,” Vashadze said.
As well as criticising the current path of UNM, Vashadze named several party figures that he believed created obstacles for the party’s development. Those he named included Giga Bokeria, Mikheil Matchavariani, Khatuna Gogorishvili, Goka Gabashvili and "face of the party” Davit Bakradze.
Vashadze said he was "guaranteed a place” in the UNM list for the upcoming Parliamentary Election but he wanted to see "real changes in the country”.
UNM has responded harshly to Vashadze claims. This afternoon party members openly criticised Vashadze and said his action served the interests of GD founder, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Furthermore, Georgia’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili published a long post on his personal Facebook page that stated Ivanishvili, who "failed to destroy UNM” was now using money and other levers to try to win UNM members, split the party and trigger internal conflict.
He added Ivanishvili would fail to achieve this aim as UNM would provide "an absolutely renewed” election list and policies that would be supported by "a big majority of voters”.
Members of the GD coalition reacted to the situation and commented on the confrontation within UNM. Party representative Irakli Sesiashvili said Vashadze had "jumped from a sinking ship” earlier than others.
UNM came to power through the Rose Revolution in 2003 and ran the country until 2012. In the October 2012 Parliamentary Elections the GD coalition defeated UNM and came to power.
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