Four Opposition MPs Quit Alliance of Patriots Party, Enter Parliament

Four MPs from the nativist Alliance of Patriots (AoP) party’s proportional list will be taking up legislative mandates for the 10th convocation of the Parliament against the general opposition boycott.

On January 5, the parliament of Georgia approved the mandates of three MPs from the proportional-party list of the AoP. Zaza Mikadze (number 5 on the list), Pridon Injia (#7) and David Zilpimiani (#8) will be replacing the party’s top three Irma Inashvili, Giorgi Lomia and Gocha Tevdoradze, respectively, whose requests to annul their MP mandates had been granted by the parliament the day before.

Earlier, Avtandil Enukidze, number four on the party list, had stated that he will keep his parliamentary mandate.

The four MPs explained their decision in a joint statement, underscoring the significance of the political stability amidst the current crises in the country and citing the lack of “well-founded proofs” of election-rigging. The lawmakers also announced leaving the Alliance of Patriots party and forming the new political union of “European Socialists.”

According to the final vote tally by the Central Election Commission, the Patriots secured 3,14% of the votes in the October 31 parliamentary elections and gained 4 parliamentary seats. The party, however, decided to follow other opposition parties in rejecting the legitimacy of the CEC results and declaring the parliamentary boycott.

MP Enukidze was the first to announce his decision to enter the parliament back in December. Party leader Irma Inashvili said at the time that Enukidze was a “business component” who was financially contributing to the party and noted that the party’s “political component” – top three mandate-holders – would be upholding their boycott.

The former AoP members are so far the first ones to officially depart from the unanimous parliamentary boycott of the opposition. Part of the opposition parties have applied to the parliament to cancel their MP mandates and had their proportional-party lists annulled by the CEC in advance, ruling out similar takeover of the mandates by other MP candidates next on the list.

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