Nika Gvaramia slams UNM and Saakashvili over acting immorally and peddling lies; I will forgive no one

“As the joint, and, I would argue, orchestrated, campaign between government-aligned Girchi and the United National Movement shows no sign of abating, I shall address the matter in greater detail. I will focus primarily on the mythical 40-million Gilauri narrative concocted against our coalition and me personally,” Nika Gvaramia, co-founder of the Ahali party, posted on social media.

Gvaramia asserted that former Prime Minister Nika Gilauri would have made a fine prime minister.

“Today, the Georgian Dream-aligned Rakviashvili admitted what we already knew: this fake opposition held meetings with Ivanishvili even as the country was crumbling outside, while citizens were being tear-gassed, brutally beaten, and jailed. What he left unsaid, but what we know, is that they took money to smear the protest movement and drive anti-opposition propaganda, targeting our coalition and me first and foremost. Ivanishvili ordered it, paid for it, and they are executing it faithfully.

None of this is new or surprising coming from them. What is new, surprising, and profoundly disappointing is that the UNM, and specifically several of its spokespersons, has turned out to be fully and deliberately involved. The UNM has its own share of ‘Iago Khvichias’.

Look at the broadcasts of government propagandist Khvichia and count which opposition party features most. From what I recall, it is strictly the UNM sitting alongside Iago as he berates the opposition and the protests, often joining him in unison to slander other opposition figures, especially, and not accidentally, our coalition.

This can serve as one of the indicators. It is common knowledge that the pro-government Girchi faction and Saakashvili had been in correspondence. The ‘Georgian Dream’-Girchi admits it, and the UNM does not deny it.

For me personally, what is particularly regrettable is that Saakashvili himself actively joined this campaign. He knows the Gilauri affair inside out and understands that the 40-million story is a fabricated lie and an absurd fiction. He knows this because he was among those backing Gilauri’s entry into the political arena: sending mutual friends and writing letters. Those dispatched by Saakashvili include friends of mine, and we met with Gilauri together. I doubt they can deny this. Fresh out of prison, I would not have thought of Gilauri on my own, having heard nothing of any renewed political ambitions on his part. I met Gilauri on his own initiative, brokered by a UNM member who was his most trusted figure at the time.

Ultimately, it became clear that no one intended to coalesce around Saakashvili’s party, and polling demonstrated that such a merger would yield a counterproductive backlash. Complete opposition unity was ruled out from the start; under no circumstances did Lelo or Gakharia’s party agree to or even seriously entertain the prospect, for entirely understandable and logical reasons. Meanwhile, all four leaders of our coalition categorically ruled out a union of ‘UNM and former UNM’, a stance unanimously backed by our parties, particularly given the influx of new, successful, and compelling figures who had no intention of running under a ‘former UNM’ badge. That was entirely sensible and correct.

Polling showed the Coalition for Change would comfortably clear the threshold and, with a strong campaign, outperform the UNM (which is precisely what happened). Running separately, the two parties achieved a higher aggregate result, with no risk of wasted votes; the votes were not lost, but rewritten by Ivanishvili’s Central Election Commission.

Consequently, a choice had to be made, and Gilauri chose Number 4. He could have chosen otherwise. Indeed, the UNM begged him to abandon us, fund them, and serve as their prime ministerial candidate. Those who approached him with these proposals, including Saakashvili’s emissaries, will find it impossible to deny this.

Even had Gilauri chosen the UNM, we would not have collapsed. The claim that we were entirely dependent on Gilauri to run is a myth. Yes, it would have been harder; yes, our resources would have been tighter, but we would never have been left at zero.

And yes, Gilauri would have made a good Prime Minister;

And yes, this was a mutually beneficial political partnership and agreement;

And yes, the coalition never hid this; it was declared publicly, repeatedly, and unequivocally;

And yes, political parties during elections should operate not by selling list places or relying on secret donors, but through funds raised via transparently declared political partnerships;

And yes, 40 million in any currency, or even 20 or 10 million, is absolute nonsense and a lie. We spent 10 million GEL, all of which was transparently disclosed, and Gilauri was merely one of several donors.

We told the Georgian voter openly and in detail what we were and were not prepared to offer in exchange for funding. Voters knew exactly who and what they were choosing by casting their ballot for us, as well as the political price attached. That is the correct formula while Ivanishvili looms over this country. The issue lies not in open, mutually beneficial collaboration, but in selling candidate slots and covert financial-political deals kept hidden from the electorate.

I do not doubt that the campaign against us is coordinated between Georgian Dream’s Girchi and the UNM. I rarely misread these matters, nor do I struggle with media analysis or political dynamics.

I care little who encouraged whom, who descended into this immorality, who paid whom, who acts on direct orders from Georgian Dream, who uses GD proxies for their own dirty interests, who is a direct undercover agent, and who is a situational ally.

The fact remains: both the UNM and Saakashvili know full well that they are behaving immorally and peddling lies. They know it, yet they do it anyway. Whether to salvage a dying party, fulfil a deal, or simply out of unhinged madness, I do not care to guess. I see what they are doing, and I see whose mill it grinds water for: Ivanishvili’s alone.

I never intended to address these matters, nor would I have started had I not witnessed this astonishing moral decay and a smear campaign driven by dubious motives.

I do not know whether my silence until now was right. I do not know if sacrificing my personal principles to protect my team’s reputation from undeserved shadows was worth it, nor whether my silence was worth the shock, distress, and awkward questions from my children asking what 40 million they were talking about.

In any case, I decided the time had come to speak. And I know one thing for certain: I have no intention of forgiving anyone.

P.S. I hope that in due course (sooner rather than later), Nika Gilauri himself will provide further clarity on this matter,” Nika Gvaramia wrote.