UNM’s Parulava: For us, Church is where we must pray for our country’s unity, its freedom, and its European future

“When we speak of the Hungarian model and democratic values, we must bear in mind that Hungary is a member of the European Union, whereas Georgia is not merely outside the EU, but has been steered away from the European path entirely by Bidzina Ivanishvili,” said Lasha Parulava, member of the United National Movement.

He argued that the parties must confront reality squarely: they are operating under a regime, and that regime includes, among other things, Georgian Dream’s constitutional lawsuit seeking to dissolve political associations.

“Mobilising the people and forging a compact with our fellow citizens is the path and the formula by which we must defeat not only Georgian Dream, but regimes of Georgian Dream’s ilk. The situation is quite clear: on one side, Hungary, an EU member, and on the other, Georgia, whose European trajectory has long been derailed by Ivanishvili. This is a different reality, one that we must face directly. It means that mobilisation is needed, that our fellow citizens must be engaged more actively, and that the regime must be defeated through popular unity,” Parulava stated.

Asked how Georgian Dream could be defeated before elections, Parulava replied: “The only formula for defeating Ivanishvili’s regime is unity, bringing our fellow citizens together around two objectives.”

“Those objectives are free and fair elections, the release of political prisoners, and the subsequent reforms that will ensure social inequality in this country is brought to an end,” he said.

He also argued that the United National Movement and Mikheil Saakashvili had always done a great deal for the strength of the Church, pointing to the restored cathedrals of Bagrati and Poti as concrete examples.

“When we speak of religion, culture, and Orthodoxy, we must not forget that to this day Gelati has no roof, and our cultural heritage is perishing because Georgian Dream is indifferent to both culture and the Church,” Parulava said.

Asked whether the UNM intended to use religion for political ends, Parulava answered: “For me, as for my colleagues, the Church is the space where we must pray for our country’s unity, its freedom, its independence, and its European future.”

“As for the processes unfolding within the Church, those are to be governed by the principle of secularism. The Church elects its Patriarch. That is a sacred space which none of us will ever touch. If anyone has weakened our Church, it is Bidzina Ivanishvili. When it comes to ecclesiastical matters, independence is a matter of fundamental principle, and no one should interfere in the Church’s internal affairs,” he added.

For context, United National Movement Chair Tina Bokuchava has stated: “Unfortunately, we also have a problem with our collective message; we make no effort to show citizens that we are not godless unbelievers, and we make no effort to enter that arena.”

Additionally, Tamar Chergoleishvili, Chair of the Federalists party, has stated that “the very strategy that delivered Magyar his victory in Hungary has already been written into the strategic agreement signed by nine opposition parties. A new government will without question be elected through the ballot box, but only after we have defeated the current regime before the elections and secured such an overwhelming advantage beforehand that the regime will be unable to rig the result.”