Ruling party MP: 'foreign patrons' abandon 'washed-up' opposition in favor of new political faces

Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Diaspora and Caucasus Issues, Irakli Zarkua, slamed Georgia’s opposition during remarks to reporters, claiming that certain “foreign patrons” are actively shifting their support away from the United National Movement (UNM) and its offshoots in favor of newer political forces like Lelo and the party of former PM Giorgi Gakharia.

Zarkua alleged that the UNM and affiliated figures such as Nika Gvaramia have become politically obsolete and have even sold their party headquarters, which he cited as symbolic of their decline.

“A party with serious political ambitions doesn’t sell its own office. They know they’re finished. Even their patrons no longer bet on them,” Zarkua said.

According to him, these same backers are now attempting to rebrand figures like Mamuka Khazaradze (Lelo) and Gakharia as fresh political alternatives—but the Georgian public remains skeptical.

“Their patrons are trying to replace damaged radical UNM faces with so-called ‘new brains,’ but it’s not working. No one will turn Khazaradze into a hero. We know exactly who he is and how he collaborated with the previous regime,” Zarkua stated.

He went on to accuse Khazaradze and other opposition leaders of complicity in past abuses under the UNM-led government, including allegations of unjust treatment of prisoners and financial exploitation.

Zarkua concluded that Georgian voters are well aware of the political history and motivations behind the opposition’s transformation attempts:

“They think people have forgotten, but society knows what they did, how they built their wealth, and how deeply they were involved with the regime. Their efforts are in vain,” he declared.