Former Georgian Dream MPs Set up New Party

Several lawmakers who broke off from ruling Georgian Dream’s parliamentary majority over different issues in 2019 have set up a new political party “Our Georgia – Solidarity Alliance.”

A presentation of the party was held on June 7. MP Beka Natsvlishvili, former member of now defunct Georgian Dream-Social Democrats faction, will serve as the chairman of the newly established party. MP Zviad Kvachantiradze, former chairman of Diaspora and Caucasus Issues Committee, and MP Mariam Jashi, former chairperson of Education, Science and Culture Committee, will serve as chairman of the party’s political council and secretary general, respectively.

Former Georgian Dream MPs Levan Gogichaishvili and Gedevan Popkhadze, as well as an independent member of Tbilisi City Assembly (Sakrebulo), Jaba Jishkariani have also joined the new party.

The newly established party said it will not cooperate with either the Georgian Dream party or the united opposition ahead of the October parliamentary polls. The party vowed to present its electoral program in early August.

MP Natsvlishvili named development to be the key priority of the newly set up party, which, in his words, should be based on “solidarity, justice, welfare and national sovereignty.”

Noting that the party is already preparing for the 2020 elections, MP Jashi, secretary general of the new party, said their team intends to muster “trusted” and “professional” politicians as well as members of academic community.

Georgian Dream lawmakers quit the ruling party and the parliamentary majority at different times last year amid controversy over Supreme Court appointments as well as the GD’s failure to adopt promised constitutional amendments on transition to fully proportional electoral system.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)