Nika Melia leaves UNM party
Melia noted he had done “everything” to preserve the principles of the United National Movement party, but his efforts had been ignored. Photo: UNM
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Nika Melia, the former Chair of the opposition United National Movement party, on Thursday said he was leaving the ranks of the largest opposition party in Georgia amid the ongoing intra-party feud.
Melia noted he had done “everything” to preserve the principles of the United National Movement party, but his efforts had been ignored.
The party has made “informal governance, behind-the-scenes influences, persecution of dissent and closing the door to democracy” as a political “standard”, Melia stressed.
A vicious circle has been created [within the UNM] taking into account the interest of everyone except the interest of the people. Staying in this vicious circle means renouncing truth, dignity, morality and the future of Georgia”, he said.
Melia added that a large part of the domestic political class believed the “main tool” of the struggle was money, and further pointed out “I believe that the main tool of the political struggle is the truth, the value of the word, sincerity”.
Nine members of the United National Movement opposition in the country’s western city of Batumi on Monday announced their exit from the faction, citing “irreconcilable differences” and an alleged lack of prospects for unity under the current management.
Six members of the United National Movement opposition party in Tbilisi City Assembly on Friday called for termination of the position of the Chair of the group before next year’s “crucial” parliamentary elections and proposed establishment of a temporary governing body based on “parity”.
Levan Khabeishvili, the Chair of United National Movement, the largest party in the domestic Georgian opposition, on Monday signed a paper during live broadcasting while claiming Nika Melia, the party’s former Chairperson, “no longer represents” the faction, but refrained from using the term “expulsion” in an ongoing controversy over the matter.
Nika Melia, the former Chair of the United National Movement, the largest party in the domestic Georgian opposition, on Monday refused to become involved in a potential new board of the party and related talks, citing “informal influence” of David Kezerashvili, the wanted former Defence Minister of Georgia, and Vano Merabishvili, the former Interior Minister under the UNM Government, over party affairs.
Members of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party in Georgia, continued to leave the group this week amid internal controversies, expressing their commitment to join a new platform initiated by the party’s former Chair Nika Melia.