Usupashvili

Usupashvili: We can’t speak seriously about a partnership with the United National Movement (2030)

TBILISI, DFWatch–Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili flatly denied allegations that the Republican Party of Georgia, commonly known as the Republicans, was considering a partnership with the United National Movement (UNM) before the parliamentary elections in October, 2030 reported.

‘We can’t speak seriously about a partnership with the United National Movement’, Davit Usupashvili said during the interview at the GDS TV’s political talk show ‘2030’ on Tuesday evening.

The Republicans left the ruling Georgian Dream coalition last week and announced they would run as an independent party in the upcoming elections.

Mr. Usupashvili said the Republicans were looking for partners to work with in the future Parliament, but they weren’t interested in cooperation with the UNM.

‘The raison d’être of every political party is to exercise influence over society and to be present in the government. A party which takes part in the elections in order to win a couple of mandates and be in the opposition is not a political party. It’s as if you wouldn’t like to earn in business. The Republicans, for the forty years of their existence, have been in power for just 3.5 years. We spent the remaining years in opposition, yet it had its certain charm. We are ready to find partners in the future Parliament, but we can’t speak seriously about a partnership with the United National Movement’, Mr Usupashvili said.

The Republican Party of Georgia and the United National Movement, together with Our Georgia — Free Democrats, are regarded the most articulate advocates of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic foreign policy course.

The UNM lost to the Georgian Dream coalition in the 2012 elections. Their current de jure leader is Davit Bakradze, although the party maintains strong ties to its founder, former president, current governor of Odessa Oblast, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Free Democrats under leadership of former minister of defence Irakli Alasania left the ruling Georgian Dream coalition in November 2014. Tinatin Khidasheli from the Republicans serves as the current minister of defence.