Parliament official downplays alliance of UNM, Strategy Aghmashenebeli opposition parties

Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, on Friday said the alliance of the opposition United National Movement and Strategy Aghmashenebeli parties, promoted on Thursday as having created a “victory platform”, as a “mere marketing idea”.

In his remarks over the matter, Sarjveladze said the Strategy Aghmashenebeli party “needed this union” to overcome the election barrier at the 2024 Parliamentary vote, and added “what the United National Movement party could gain [from the move], no one can understand”.

In fact, the statement about creating a ‘victory platform’ is just a marketing idea. They themselves are well-aware that the name ‘defeat platform’ would be more fit for this union. That they have a real prospect of failure is a fact”, Sarjveladze said.

“This was not a decision these two political parties had arrived at because [they enjoyed] a good life. Everyone has their own problems, and the way to solve these problems is the one that, unfortunately, they cannot talk about openly, but the public sees it”, the Parliament official noted.

Sarjveladze also claimed that “arithmetically, their support does not increase with the alliance of the parties”, and alleged the development could even reduce support, because “the electorate of one party may not accept the other”.