No opposition unity possible in Georgia, People’s Power lawmaker says

A member of the People’s Power movement, Guram Macharashvili, has said that no form of unity can be achieved among opposition parties in Georgia.

Speaking about ongoing discussions around possible opposition cooperation, Macharashvili argued that groups linked to the United National Movement have no shared agenda beyond seeking to return to power, which he said has led even their own supporters to turn away.

“I don’t know who still believes that the branches of the United National Movement will unite,” he said. “We can see what is happening in the EU, NATO and in US-Europe relations. Unfortunately, things are not settling there, so who can seriously expect Japaridze, Gvaramia and Khazaradze to reconcile or stand on a single platform, when they have failed to do anything so far?”

Macharashvili said opposition figures lack what he described as a national mission, arguing that without such a goal, unity is impossible.

“When you have no national task and no goal other than coming to power, you cannot unite around anything,” he said. “That is why even their own voters no longer support these people. Their agenda is nothing but radicalism, division, fragmentation, darkness and a bad future, and naturally no unity can emerge from that.”

Commenting on former president Salome Zourabichvili, Macharashvili said he would welcome her taking a leading role in any opposition unity, describing her as “a formula for failure”.