UNM’s Sanikidze: Voters are exhausted by opposition infighting and fractures on democratic front

“I firmly believe that our society, our valued electorate, is deeply exhausted by the opposition’s internal infighting and the misunderstandings plaguing the democratic front,” stated Levan Sanikidze, a member of the United National Movement (UNM).

Sanikidze explained that he has deliberately steered clear of these inter-opposition disputes, though he stressed that this should not be mistaken for a lack of a personal stance.

“Over recent months, my sole focus and effort have been directed towards strengthening opposition unity. For this reason, I have consciously chosen not to engage in the internal opposition feuds that have surfaced lately. Just because I refuse to get bogged down in this does not mean I have no opinion. A great deal of harsh rhetoric is being aimed at the United National Movement and its leader, who remains behind bars. Some of these remarks are deeply insulting and go far beyond legitimate political debate. Naturally, these problems are real, but I remain driven by the hope that, sooner or later, this disaster, which has seen the opposition tearing itself apart for 14 years, will finally draw to a close,” Sanikidze declared.

When asked whether the UNM would raise the question of exiting the alliance, Sanikidze stated that the party has no desire to spark a walkout that would fracture opposition solidarity.

“As things stand at this very moment, the situation is as follows: the UNM does not want to orchestrate any demarche within the Opposition Alliance that would undermine unity. However, I suspect that in an expanded format, whether it be a political council or a party congress, this issue could very well be put on the table,” Sanikidze said.

He reiterated that he has always been, and will remain, an advocate for a unified front.

“That said, if we reach a point where there is zero scope left to defuse the tensions currently brewing between the UNM and other parties within the alliance, then the position shared by the majority of our base, who are calling for us to leave, will likely become irreversible. Even so, I still believe it is possible to make one final attempt to de-escalate the situation,” he noted.

Furthermore, Sanikidze was pressed for a response to an earlier statement made today by Opposition Alliance co-leader Nika Gvaramia, who claimed that “nobody is motivated to damage the UNM; they are doing a perfectly fine job of destroying themselves through internal infighting”.

Sanikidze countered: “I completely reject that; our party’s internal affairs are our own. There is absolutely no internal infighting. An election has been scheduled, and in the very near future, the UNM will have a new, legitimately elected leadership chosen by our congress, where everyone will have the opportunity to participate,” Sanikidze concluded.