UNM head Melia leaves parliament, urges opposition to stay, fight
UNM head Nika Melia says that the opposition should not boycott the October 2 municipal elections. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The head of opposition United National Movement (UNM) party Nika Melia, who has been nominated for Tbilisi mayor by several opposition parties, has stated he is giving up his parliamentary mandate to prepare for the October 2 municipal elections.
Melia said that other UNM MPs are ‘formally staying’ in the state legislature to complete procedures for constitutional changes and for the country to shift to the fully proportional electoral system.
He said that the opposition parties must not boycott the upcoming municipal elections and should fight for victory following the recent decision of the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw from the April 19 EU-mediated agreement.
The agreement which was signed by the ruling Georgian Dream party and five of eight opposition parties (which won seats in parliament in the 2020 parliamentary elections) back in April resolved a six-month political crisis in the country.
Opposition is undecided whether or not boycott October 2 municipal elections. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The document, which proposed the holding of repeat parliamentary elections if the ruling party received less than 43 per cent of votes in the 2021 municipal elections and large-scale reforms, was not signed by the UNM because of a note in it on amnesty.
Several opposition MPs, MEPs and international partners have stated that the UNM’s refusal to join the agreement gave the reason to the ruling party to annul its signature to the document. .
Now Melia says that the ruling party will have to accept the holding of repeat parliamentary elections if they receive less than 43 per cent of votes.
However, the ruling party said after the withdrawal from the agreement that they may or may not accept the holding of a repeat parliamentary race.
The UNM won 34 of 60 opposition seats in the 150-member parliament in the October 2020 elections.
After the involvement of the EU the party accepted to enter the parliament after a six-month political standoff without signing the agreement proposed by European Council President Charles Michel.
MEP Viola von Cramon is now holding informal meetings in Tbilisi with Georgian opposition parties and members following the recent decision of the Georgian Dream ruling party to withdraw from the April 19 EU-mediated agreement.
A number of opposition parties have put forward the United National Movement chair Nika Melia for the post of Tbilisi mayor, while Droa movement leader Elene Khoshtaria has been put forward for the City Council (Sakrebulo) chair for the upcoming municipal elections in October.
Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and Gerry Connolly, co-chairs of the House Georgia Caucus, urge all parties 'to take a step back, reassess their priorities, and work together to strengthen Georgia’s democracy – not tear it down'. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom also urges all political parties to work together to achieve political stability and reach consensus for the benefit of all the Georgian people.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said earlier today that the implementation of reforms will continue despite the ruling Georgian Dream party’s withdrawal from the EU-mediated agreement which ended the six-month political crisis caused by the parliamentary elections of 2020. The April 19 agreement obliged all signatory parties to participate in the process of fundamental electoral and judicial reforms’ implementation.
Opposition MP Tamar Kordzaia has boycotted the parliamentary activities after the ruling Georgian Dream party’s withdrawal from the EU-mediated agreement. Kordzaia told IPN that she signed the agreement because ‘the western course is important,’ noting that parliamentary cooperation with the Georgian Dream is impossible.
The US Embassy in Georgia has responded to the ruling party’s exit from the EU-mediated agreement and stated that ‘Washington is growing increasingly alarmed about repeated setbacks to Georgia’s democratic future.’ The ruling Georgian Dream party announced yesterday that the agreement initiated by the European Council President Charles Michel ‘completed its mission’ and left the agreement.
European Council President Charles Michel has called on all political parties in Georgia today ‘to put the interests of citizens first’ following the ruling party’s exit from the EU-mediated agreement. The ruling Georgian Dream party has left the April 19 agreement brokered by Charles Michel, noting that it had ‘completed its mission.’
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that ‘no elections will take place until the one scheduled in 2024.’
US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan stated earlier today that she hopes the EU-mediated agreement will remain in force despite the ruling Georgian Dream party’s recent withdrawal from it. Georgian Dream annulled its signatory status to the April 19 agreement which resolved the political crisis in Georgia caused by parliamentary elections of 2020 and proposed fundamental electoral and judicial reforms.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party, which won 34 of 60 opposition seats in the 2020 parliamentary elections in the 150-member parliament, has presented mayoral candidates for the October 2 municipal race.
Four opposition parties, the United National Movement (UNM), Droa, Girchi-More Freedom and European Georgia have presented joint majoritarian candidates for Tbilisi City Assembly ahead of the October 2 municipal elections.
The Georgian parliament has suspended the MP status of the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia with 79 votes earlier today, as Melia requested back in August 2021 to prepare for the October 2 municipal elections.
US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has expressed her hope that the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition will work together in the "best interest" of Georgia. Ambassador Degnan further encouraged the opposition United National Movement (UNM) to enter the Parliament.