UNM’s Baramidze: Surprised by Tina Bokuchava’s statement; nothing illegitimate about UNM’s July 30 Political Council meeting

“There was nothing illegitimate about the United National Movement’s Political Council meeting on July 30,” stated UNM member Gia Baramidze.

According to Baramidze, had there not been a quorum, the meeting would not even have taken place.

“I was very surprised by Tina Bokuchava’s statement. There was nothing illegitimate about this meeting. Had there been no quorum, the meeting would not have gone ahead at all. Turnout was high, and any member who wishes may receive the minutes once finalised and signed, allowing them to see exactly who attended. It certainly was not packed to capacity, as many did not have the opportunity to attend, though I believe travelling up from Kobuleti should not have been a problem. A great number of people travelled in like that from various regions. I cannot tell you why she made these statements.

In any case, the discussion concerned scheduling a party congress. This did not require any manipulation. Tina may harbour certain grievances because we will, in all probability, no longer be electing the status we currently have, that of party chairperson, at this upcoming congress. This is because we no longer wish to elect a chairperson or a general secretary as we currently do. We want to establish a governing council that will carry out this function,” Baramidze noted.

According to him, under Georgian law, it remains mandatory to have a single designated individual to sign documents on behalf of the party.

“This person will perform a technical role, rather than holding the status we had previously. Tina has every right to disagree with this matter. In our party, it is quite common for someone to disagree on something; at times we disagree with one another, and at times we disagree with Mikheil Saakashvili. Discussing these issues has never been a problem within the United National Movement. I cannot speak or speculate on Tina’s behalf. At this stage, the party is committed to becoming more collegial rather than relying solely on a chairperson.

As for Nanuka, she is not yet a party member. Therefore, I cannot link her to this congress. Mikheil Saakashvili stated that he wishes to ask Nanuka and other members of the public how they envision the ongoing processes in the country, including issues regarding the reformation of the UNM, which will remain external to our formal structure,” Gia Baramidze stated.

According to the acting chairperson of the United National Movement, Tina Bokuchava, only around 40 out of 130 members attended the party’s Political Council meeting on July 30. She maintained that for a meeting to have the authority to adopt decisions, it must be legitimate.