Five more ruling party MPs join Popular Force movement

Five more MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Tuesday joined Popular Force, a public movement created by former ruling Georgian Dream party lawmakers who exited the team in June. Photo: 1tv.ge

Agenda.ge, 04 Oct 2022 - 12:08, Tbilisi,Georgia

Five more MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Tuesday joined Popular Force, a public movement created by former ruling Georgian Dream party lawmakers who exited the team in June.

Sozar Subari, a member of the movement, said the parliamentary composition of the movement was expanding with the addition of Eka Sepashvili, Viktor Japaridze, Davit Kacharava, Dachi Beraia and Zaal Mikeladze.

In total, our movement will be represented in the parliament of Georgia by nine MPs, which means that we will have the third largest political group in the legislative body”, he said.

Subari also noted recognised political experts Tamta Megrelishvili, Zurab Kadagidze, Davit Kartvelishvili, Tamar Chiburdanidze, Nukri Shoshiashvili, Otar Chulukhadze, Nika Kobuladze and Ioane Shaishmelashvili had also joined the movement.

Each of them is very valuable for our movement, and we are sure that they will make an important contribution to the achievement of the goals related to maintaining peace in the country and its stable development”, the MP said. 

Subari also noted Viktor Japaridze, a member of the movement, had acquired 52 percent of the share of the Post TV channel, stressing the move would “help us bring the message to the public even more widely”.

He also added MPs in the movement were remaining as members of the parliamentary majority, as the ruling Georgian Dream faction no longer had a majority without the lawmakers of the movement.

Popular Force was established in July by three MPs who said they had left Georgian Dream after a disagreement over the approach to public relations with the rest of the team, claiming they had decided to use their new status to periodically release information on political developments in the country that would otherwise be kept within official circles.

They have since come out with controversial public statements that have included allegations of the US embassy in Georgia’s interference in the country’s judiciary, accusations of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy being partial in domestic politics, and more.