UNM remains without chairman, elects new political council

Georgia’s largest opposition party United National Movement (UNM) held a party meeting today to elect its new leadership.

Although Nika Melia has been named as the UNM’s new political council head, the party remain without a chairman. Party members say this position will remain "vacant” until ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili returns to Georgia.

UNM member Nugzar Tsiklauri said Saakashvili, who was Georgia’s third president, has refused neither Georgian citizenship nor leadership of the UNM. For that reason, part members have agreed to keep this position open until Saakashvili will have the opportunity to fully engage in the political process.

Saakashvili served as the third President of Georgia from 2004-2007 and again from 2008-2013. He was the governor of the Odessa region from 2015-2016.

Saakashvili was criminally charged in 2014. However, he departed for Ukraine by the time his case had been delivered to the courts.

On May 30, 2015, Ukraine’s president appointed Saakashvili as head of the country’s Odessa region. At the same time he was also granted Ukrainian citizenship. However, in November 2016 Saakashvili resigned from his post as governor, citing corruption as his reasoning.

Upon receiving Ukrainian citizenship, Saakashvili’s Georgian citizenship was automatically revoked, as Georgian legislation prohibits the notion of dual citizenship, except for in exceptional circumstances.

If Saakashviil returns to Georgia, he may face a court of law.