United National Movement (UNM) Chair Tina Bokuchava stated she first learned that journalist Nanuka Zhorzholiani was joining the party from a letter sent by Mikheil Saakashvili, dismissing reports she found out via social media.
Appearing on TV Pirveli, Bokuchava elaborated:
“Despite our intensely packed schedule of meetings in London, I responded to this news from London immediately, warmly welcoming Nanuka Zhorzholiani into the ranks of the United National Movement. For a very long time, there has been an ongoing dialogue with President Saakashvili, initiated in part by myself, regarding the absolute necessity of certain changes within the party. We have been communicating on this for a long time. President Saakashvili and I have been discussing this matter for some time, including Nanuka Zhorzholiani’s involvement.
I absolutely welcome the addition of any energetic and, crucially, high-profile figure to the United National Movement. I believe Nanuka Zhorzholiani is doing immensely important work in civil activism, helping countless individuals and actively working with political prisoners.
However, I believe this announcement and her arrival at the UNM also underscore the value of structured party work. I received a letter specifically concerning Nanuka Zhorzholiani joining the United National Movement; I was notified of this information via a letter from President Saakashvili.”
According to Bokuchava, Mikheil Saakashvili explicitly outlined in a social media post the reforms he intends to implement through the active engagement of party members and supporters, explicitly mentioning her in the process.
While Bokuchava expressed her gratitude to Saakashvili for this mandate of trust, she stressed that she has yet to decide whether she will take on the immense responsibility of leading these reforms.
“In the very same post where Mikheil Saakashvili spoke about Nanuka Zhorzholiani joining the ranks of the United National Movement, he also made it very clear, and I am profoundly grateful for his trust in me as party chair, that the implementation of these planned changes will be carried out in tandem with the party chair, naming me specifically. I am deeply thankful for this mandate of trust.
I am torn on whether to accept this responsibility, to be frank, because it is a monumental burden. Sadly, for various reasons, no other past chairperson of the United National Movement has managed to see their mandate through to the end of their term. I was elected party chair on July 8, 2024, and so far, I have managed to hold this mandate without any coups, scandals, or severe internal turmoil. I do not view this as my sole achievement; it is our collective success. It belongs to President Saakashvili, the Political Council, our supporters, and, of course, myself.
In his post, President Saakashvili reconfirmed his trust in me as party chair to carry out these changes. This is a tremendous responsibility, and while I am very grateful for this mandate of trust, I have not yet made a final decision on whether to shoulder it. This depends entirely on how effectively we can reform the Political Council, which must include Levan Khabeishvili. I cannot envision a restructuring of the Political Council without the participation of its Chairman, Levan Khabeishvili. We cannot simply disregard the fact that Levan Khabeishvili is currently imprisoned; we cannot reform the Political Council without consulting him.
Furthermore, one of my primary focuses for the upcoming elections is the strengthening of our Tbilisi branch, a task I cannot imagine without the involvement of Irakli Nadiradze, who is also in prison,” Bokuchava said, adding that the participation of regional leaders is equally vital to the reform process.
When asked whether she genuinely believed that Saakashvili had offered Zhorzholiani the party leadership itself, Bokuchava replied that she never engages in such speculation. She noted that Mikheil Saakashvili had nowhere written that he had made such an offer to Nanuka Zhorzholiani.
“President Saakashvili himself has written no such thing anywhere. I never engage in these kinds of discussions. It is not a matter of ‘believing or not believing’; we have a public post that guides us, and that will guide the United National Movement. Political gossip has never been my domain or my interest.
I read the public post published by Mikheil Saakashvili. I believe the most appropriate course of action at this stage is to be guided by Saakashvili’s public stance. Had he wished to publish anything else, he would have done so,” Bokuchava concluded.
