Private broadcaster releases list of alleged top ten of UNM
By Messenger Staff
Tuesday, May 17
Georgia’s private broadcaster, Rustavi 2, has aired a list of the top ten alleged members of the United National Movement party which ran the country from 2003 to 2012 before it was defeated by the ruling Georgian Dream coalition in the 2012 parliamentary race.
The TV channel said the ten members are as follows: 1. Davit Bakradze, the leader of the UNM 2. Elene Khoshtaria, an analyst and member of Georgia’s Reforms Associates NGO 3. Roman Gotsiridze, an analyst and former head of the National Bank of Georgia 4. Nika Melia, UNM member 5. Giorgi Tugushi, former ombudsman and then UNM official 6. Otar Kakhidze, a lawyer 7. Salome Samadashvili, a former diplomat and official; 8. Irakli Abesadze, UNM member; 9. Sergi Kapanadze, a former official and founder of Georgia’s Reforms Associates and 10. Sergo Ratiani, UNM member.
The United National Movement itself has not confirmed the information and stated that a presentation of the election list will be held in the coming days.
The political board of the party has already held a meeting regarding the formation of the electoral list.
The UNM says it requires a renewed list and is sure it will defeat the ruling party in the upcoming, October 8 parliamentary elections.
Some members of the party have already quit the UNM. Among them was one of the most famous faces of the UNM, Giorgi Vashadze, who said the party had stopped developing.
Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, wanted by Georgia’s law-enforcement bodies for various cases, says the renewed team would be a major advantage for the party.
He also says quitting the party by some of its members happened because of the founder of the Georgian Dream coalition Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire, who, according to Saakashvili, is trying to destroy the UNM.
The ruling coalition says the UNM has no chance of winning in the parliamentary elections.
