Ruling party official: recording involving Saakashvili’s mother continuation of UNM opposition’s intra-party feud

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said a recording released on Wednesday by Rustavi 2 channel and allegedly featuring Giuli Alasania, the mother of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, was a “continuation of the intra-party feud” at the United National Movement opposition party.

In the audio recording, the authenticity of which has yet to be confirmed, Alasania is heard calling unspecified representatives of the domestic opposition “parasites”. She also mentions “the Russian factor” in Saakashvili's 2021 return to Georgia, which was followed by his arrest and imprisonment.

Rustavi 2 said the recording had been made before Saakashvili's return to the country, and added the identity of the person in conversation with Alasania was unclear.

In his remarks over what is the second release of controversial audio recordings related to UNM members during the week, Mdinaradze alleged the party’s incumbent Chair Nika Melia was responsible with the move, and added the party head was intending to hit “Saakashvili's flank” within the party with the release.

In fact, with this recording, Melia snitched on the Saakashvili flank with their common patrons and handlers, and provided proof that they still consider Russian interests, and that sometimes [Russia’s] opinion is more interesting [to them] than the opinion of the West. [...] This is the reality, and this story does not require conspiracy theories [to be plausible]”, the GD official said.

The release follows an earlier publicising of another recording, involving Melia himself, on social media on Monday.

In the earlier recording, the party Chair was heard recalling his phone conversation with Saakashvili ahead of the 2021 municipal elections in Georgia, and insulting the former President for his views while also stating his opinion on the possibility of Saakashvili’s return to Georgia from Ukraine for the race.

UNM member Bacho Dolidze said the former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili - a close ally of Saakashvili who served on the position in the former Government - could be behind Monday’s release with the aim of hampering Melia’s re-election to the position in the upcoming vote within the party.