Parliament official: Confrontation in UNM “acute”, exclude possibility for party to remain united
“In the process of this controversy [in UNM], many details became visible to the public”, the Committee Chair noted, adding it “turned out” that while the opposition had been accusing the Government for its “certain actions”, indeed some members of the opposition party “ascribed their wicked deeds” to the Government. Photo via Parliament press office
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Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights on Saturday said the confrontation in the opposition United National Movement party became so “critical” that any possibility for the party “to remain united could be excluded”.
Sarjveladze commented on the ongoing intra-party standoff between two “camps” in UNM, ahead of an election for the position of its Chair, and said that the groups inside the party put their “mercantile self-interests first” and the ongoing processes in the party were not significant for Georgia and its citizens.
In the process of this controversy [in UNM], many details became visible to the public”, the Committee Chair noted, adding it “turned out” that while the opposition had been accusing the Government for its “certain actions”, indeed some members of the opposition party “ascribed their wicked deeds” to the Government.
As regards the initiative of the UNM chair candidates Nona Mamulashvili and Giorgi Khvedeliani on asking people whether the party should boycott and leave the Parliament, Sarjveladze said Mamulashvili [who had left the Parliament amid the protests of the municipal election run-offs results in 2021] in this way was “trying to justify” her decision of leaving the legislative body.
By electors’ support and votes given to the MPs, they are not granted any "privilege" but have an "obligation" to work "relentlessly and tirelessly", he said, stressing "some people" in Georgian politics [UNM members] considered their function was to only have power.
Nika Melia, the Chair of the opposition United National Movement party, on Tuesday said “certain processes” taking place amid ongoing controversies in the party were “inspired, planned and organised from beginning to end” by Vano Merabishvili, the former UNM Government Interior Minister and David Kezerashvili, the former UNM Defence Minister and now private TV channel owner.
Nugzar Tsiklauri, a member of the United National Movement opposition party, on Wednesday accused Vano Merabishvili, the former Interior Minister from the party during its time in Government, of ongoing “shadowy interference” in developments in the UNM and domestic politics in general.
Giorgi Rurua, the founder and shareholder of Mtavari Arkhi TV, on Tuesday alleged possible ties between Vano Merabishvili, the country’s former Interior Minister in the United National Movement Government, and Russian special services, while claiming Merabishvili had blamed former President Mikheil Saakashvili for starting the 2008 war with Russia in private conversations with foreign partners.
Bacho Dolidze, a member of the United National Movement - the largest opposition party in Georgia - on Tuesday said the former Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili could be behind the recent release of illegal audio recording involving the party’s incumbent Chair Nika Melia.
Georgian people see every day how the “radical extremist” party, the United National Movement, has been turning into “some kind of comical organisation”, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said on Saturday.