First crack appears in the united Georgian opposition

Georgian civil movement leader Aleko Elisashvili has left the united opposition, and some experts say that this is the first sign of looming disaster.

Elisashvili stated that his reason for leaving was the fact that some of the opposition is ‘acting in their own selfish interests’ and the other part held pro-Russian sentiments.

The opposition, in turn, accused him of trying to ruin the ‘united front’ against the ruling party in the upcoming autumn 2020 parliamentary elections, which are of particular significance for the country.

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The united opposition group consists of around 30 parties. Representatives from each said they would come together to agree on which candidates to nominate for the parliamentary elections in the fall of 2020 in order to compete with the ruling Georgian Dream Party.

This means nominating candidates for each of the 30 majoritarian districts.

The activist’s accusations against the opposition

“For 98 percent of politicians who have joined this group, politics is a source of income. They even actively take this money from the budgetary funds,” said Elisashvili when he announced his departure.

Elisashvili also found the political views of some members of the united opposition unacceptable, including their “pro-Russian sentiments.”

Elisashvili plans to band together with supporters to create a new party named “Mokalake” (“Citizen”). The opposition leader did not exclude the possibility that he and two associates would run for parliament in the majoritarian districts in Tbilisi separately from the united opposition.

Opposition: “We need to be unified to defeat the oligarch Ivanishvili”

Aleko Elisashvili’s decision was sharply criticized by the opposition.

Uniting the opposition requires compromise, and Elisashvili tried to undermine this system, said some people—in particular, leader of the European Georgia party Giga Bokeria.

“Only in unity can we defeat a rival such as the shadow leader of Georgia, head of the ruling party, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili,” said Bokeria.