Early years Foundation Mikheil Saakashvili, the founder of United National Movement (UNM), had his start in the political party
Union of Citizens of Georgia (UCG) of the president
Eduard Shevardnadze. He was elected to the parliament in
1995 soon joining the team of so-called "young reformers" within the party led by
Zurab Zhvania.
Opposition By the late 90s, a rift was also growing between the "young reformers" and the establishment factions in CUG. The division was intensified following the
2000 presidential election. Saakashvili, who at the same time had served as the country’s justice minister, left CUG and established the opposition National Movement party, the predecessor to UNM. Zhvania, along with another prominent member of the "young reformers" team
Nino Burjanadze also split in 2002 creating the
United Democrats party. In the official results, National Movement achieved 18,74% of the vote winning 42 seats.
Rose Revolution National Movement and
Burjanadze-Democrats organized mass rallies in protest of the official results demanding the government either recognize the opposition's victory or resign. Some other significant opposition forces such as
Labour Party and
New Rights Party chose to abstain from the protests. The opposition and the government faced off on the first session of the new parliament forcing MPs and Shevardnadze, who was delivering a speech, to leave the room. The following day, Shevardnadze made the decision to resign as president making Burjanadze, the speaker of the parliament, the new interim president. Days later, the Georgian Supreme Court declared the results as invalid. This event was later known as the
Rose Revolution. Bendukidze implemented radical tax system reforms. Under him, a flat 12% tax rate was introduced with the overall number of taxes being reduced from 21 taxes to 6. Additionally, rapid privatization of state assets was implemented, and Georgia's economy was opened to foreign investment and global markets with few restrictions or regulations. Supporters of Bendukidze praise the rapid economic growth and business-friendly environment that was created due to his reforms, while his detractors point out the unequal distribution of that growth among the population. The Saakashvili administration pushed
liberal social policy reforms, which put it in discord with the
conservative values of the Georgian population. In 2005, the parliament took steps to take religion out of public education, passing the General Education Act, that restricted the teaching of religion in schools and the use of religious symbols in the school space for devotional purposes.
Territorial disputes , the leader of
Adjara from 1991 to 2004 One of the main goals of the Rose Revolution government was restoring territorial control.
Adjara, which at the time was led by the
autocratic Aslan Abashidze government often defied the central Tbilisi authorities, however, unlike
Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, Abashidze did not desire full independence. In 2004, Abashidze was forced to flee after a series of
mass public demonstrations, with Adjara returning to Tbilisi control. This was viewed as a major success for the government led by UNM. in
Tbilisi on 7 November 2007 In late 2007, The opposition subsequently organized
protests with around 50,000 people gathering in front of the parliament building in
Tbilisi on 2 November calling for Saakashvili's resignation, The protests continued until 7 November, when riot police were deployed to disperse the demonstration with the government enacting a 15-day nationwide state of emergency. The move received widespread criticism both locally and abroad and it was lifted the following week.
Imedi TV, opposition-leaning media, was taken off air, and protestors demanded its return which took place a month later. Saakashvili called
early elections, cutting his term by a year, and stepped down as president.
2008 elections Saakashvili was reelected in the
2008 presidential election held on 5 January narrowly winning over 50% and avoiding a second-round.
2008 parliamentary election were held on 21 May where UNM won a landslide victory getting 59.18% and once again being the single ruling party of the country. The opposition criticized the results as illegitimate with them boycotting the parliament, however, international observers largely deemed the results free and fair noting only isolated procedural violations and instances of fraud.
Second term (2008-2012) August War 2008 saw the deterioration of
relations between Russia and Georgia reaching a full
diplomatic crisis by April 2008. The crisis soon evolved into a
war, first between Georgia and the Russian-backed South Ossetian separatists and later directly with Russia. On 1 August 2008, the South Ossetian forces started shelling Georgian villages, with Georgia sending its army units into the conflict zone on 7 August. The Georgian army managed to quickly take control of Tskhinvali. Russia soon falsely accused the Georgian side of committing a
genocide and launched a full-scale land, air, and sea invasion of Georgia, including its undisputed territory on 8 August. Additionally, reports exist of some Russian troops illicitly crossing the
Georgia–Russia border through the
Roki Tunnel before the conflict broke out. Russian and separatist forces fought Georgian troops in and around South Ossetia for several days, until Georgian forces retreated.
Russian and
Abkhaz forces opened a second front by
attacking the Kodori Gorge held by Georgia, while Russian naval forces blockaded part of the Georgian
Black Sea coastline.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the
President of France, personally negotiated a
ceasefire agreement on 12 August. Russian forces temporarily occupied the Georgian cities of
Zugdidi,
Senaki,
Poti and
Gori. Russia recognised the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgia on 26 August and the Georgian government severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Georgia additionally withdrew from
Commonwealth of Independent States, a Russia dominated international organization of
post-Soviet states, and called for others to do so as well. The South Ossetians destroyed most ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and were responsible for an
ethnic cleansing of Georgians. The war displaced 192,000 people. While many returned to their homes after the war, 20,272 people, mostly ethnic Georgians, remained displaced as of 2014.
Further protests and dissent in
Tbilisi on 10 April 2009 The opposition heavily criticized Saakashvili’s handling of the war and accused him of dragging Georgia into a war it could not win. Ivanishvili first launched Georgian Dream in December 2011 as a movement and staged several mass demonstrations. On 21 February 2012, Ivanishvili announced the formation of a
coalition of the same name, together with established political parties such as
Republicans,
Our Georgia – Free Democrats, and
National Forum, pledging to increase welfare spending and to pursue a more pragmatic approach with Russia while maintaining a pro-Western and pro-NATO foreign policy. In subsequent months, two other opposition parties joined the coalition - the
Conservative Party and
Industry Will Save Georgia. Georgian Dream was transformed into a
political party on 21 April 2012, being the leading party of the coalition. Georgian Dream held mass demonstrations around the country, with a rally held in downtown Tbilisi on 27 May 2012 having been attended by an estimated 80,000 people. Georgian Dream's campaign surged after the
Gldani prison scandal, which highlighted widespread torture in Georgian prisons under Saakashvili's administration. In response to GD rallies that regularly attracted tens of thousands of people, the government responded by staging a rival mass event. The six-party Georgian Dream coalition led by Ivanishvili successfully challenged UNM in the
2012 parliamentary election. It won 54.97% of the vote, while UNM received 40.34%, granting the coalition a majority of 85 seats in parliament. The remaining 65 seats went to UNM. Saakashvili conceded the loss and pledged to support the constitutional process of forming a new government, while at the same time noting his deep opposition to the coalition. This was the first democratic transfer of power in Georgia.
First term in opposition (2012-2016) charged on abuse of power, bribery of voters, and inefficient use of budget funds Soon after coming to power, the Georgian Dream coalition started persecuting UNM government officials with criminal charges ranging from embezzlement to abuse of power and torture. Former Prime Minister
Vano Merabishvili, governor of
Kakheti Zurab Tchiaberashvili, and Head of the Penitentiary Department
Bacho Akhalaia were among the ones who were arrested. Overall more than 20,000 complaints were filed by citizens and inmates with the Prosecutor's Office in connection to the past administration, including 4,000 cases of alleged torture or ill-treatment. In total thirty-five people were persecuted. With its reputation being tarnished, widespread calls were made by the public to ban the party altogether. The Georgian Dream coalition itself was divided over the issue with some factions supporting the move, while others such as the new chairman of parliament
Davit Usupashvili preferring to persecute only specific individuals suspected of crimes. UNM emerged as the singular opposition party in the new parliament. During this time, Georgian politics shifted towards a two-party system and was marked by a confrontation between Georgian Dream and United National Movement. This confrontation shaped the identity of the two parties, with UNM becoming a party for the people disillusioned with the Georgian Dream government, while Georgian Dream became a front for those who featured UNM's return to power. UNM began to build its identity on being the sole party capable of challenging Georgian Dream. , UNM's nominee for the
2013 presidential election In
2013 presidential election, United National Movement suffered a landslide defeat at the hands of Georgian Dream with its candidates
Giorgi Margvelashvili attaining 62.12%, while the UNM candidate
David Bakradze managed to only score 21.72%. Shortly after the election, Saakashvili left Georgia due to fears he would be persecuted as well. In 2014, the
Prosecutor's Office of Georgia filed criminal charges against Saakashvili. In 2018, the Tbilisi City Court sentenced him in absentia to six years in prison for ordering the beating of Valeri Gelashvili and pardoning in prior agreement the individuals tried for Sandro Girgvliani's murder. Saakashvili continued to manage his party from abroad while accusing the Georgian government of using the legal system as a tool of political retribution. On 5 November 2014, Free Democrats announced their withdrawal from Georgian Dream coalition which led to the government losing its majority. However, by 10 November, 12
independent majoritarian MPs, initially elected under UNM but later quitting the party following its defeat, joined the Georgian Dream coalition, which led to its number of MPs increasing to 87 in the parliament. Thus, as a result of the crisis, Georgian Dream managed to increase its representation in the parliament by four seats. Analysts saw this as unsurprising as those independent MPs were frequently voting along with the Georgian Dream coalition, despite not being official members. Despite recruiting some new and young new and young people like
Zaza Bibilashvili and
Zurab Japaridze, UNM remained loyal to Saakashvili and continued to be seen as the party of the ex-president. This caused significant rifts within the party as many members thought that UNM had to break with its past to mount serious opposition to Georgian Dream.
New Political Center — Girchi, led by Japaridze, was the first to break with the party doing so in May 2015, followed by
New Georgia, led by
Giorgi Vashadze, in May 2016. Both of the parties later joined
State for the People bloc for the
2016 parliamentary election.
Second term in opposition (2016-2020) European Georgia split Soon after the election, where UNM received 27.11% of the proportional vote, it experienced a major party split on 12 January 2017, as a result of a conflict between Davit Bakradze,
Giga Bokeria, former mayor of Tbilisi
Gigi Ugulava along with their supporters, and members of the party loyal to Saakashvili. Saakashvili had rejected the party's decision to enter parliament after the 2016 election, calling for a boycott, and had further opposed the initiative of party members to appoint a new chairman in his place. A majority of the UNM's elected MPs (21 out of 27) defected to
European Georgia (EG), leaving UNM with only six MPs in the parliament. In the
2017 local elections, UNM saw a reduction in its vote share, falling to 17.08%, however, it remained the largest opposition party. The party was heavily affected by the formation of EG, which garnered 10.4% of the vote.
2018 presidential election UNM's nominee for the
2018 presidential election and its chairman from 2019 to 2020 Ahead of the
2018 presidential election, UNM formed the
Strength is in Unity coalition with it nominating
Grigol Vashadze as the joint presidential candidate. The alliance included UNM as well as nine other parties including For a New Georgia, Serve Georgia, the
National Democratic Party,
State for the People, the Christian Conservative Party, the Civil Alliance for Freedom,
New Georgia, Georgia Among Leaders, and the
European Democrats. The presidential election was seen as an opportunity for UNM to achieve its first victory since its loss of power. It was nearly successful in defeating the Georgian Dream-backed independent candidate
Salome Zourabichvili in the first round with Vashadze getting 37.74% of the vote compared to Zourabichvili's 40.48%. After a stronger-than-expected performance from the opposition, Ivanishvili put together a scheme in which the debts of 600,000 Georgians would be written off and covered by his charity, in an attempt to secure Zourabichvili's victory. It was considered "an unprecedented case of vote-bribing". The government supported scheme was enough to boost Georgian Dream's popularity and give Zourabichvili a victory in the second round. On 24 March 2019, Saakashvili stepped down as the party chairman, with him being succeeded by Vashadze. Nevertheless, Saakashvili remained the most influential figure in the party.
Gavrilov's Night , a Russian lawmaker from the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation, in 2019 The summer of 2019 set off a prolonged period of political unrest and civil discontent with Georgian Dream's rule. On 20 June 2019,
Parliament of Georgia hosted the
Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, an organization set up by the
Greek parliament to unite Orthodox Christian lawmakers worldwide. With both Russia and Georgia being members of the organization, the Russian delegation arrived to take part in the session in the Georgian parliament. The session was opened with a speech from
Sergei Gavrilov, a Russian lawmaker from the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation, whilst sitting in the chair of the Head of Parliament. protests The opposition said it was a denigration of Georgian sovereignty and completely unacceptable that Gavrilov presided over a session in Georgian parliament, as a representative of the occupying power with a history of casting anti-Georgia votes. The opposition, including UNM, called for protests in front of the parliament building. That same day, a large protest took place in front of Parliament, which was violently dispersed by the orders of Interior Minister
Giorgi Gakharia. It became known as
Gavrilov's Night. Georgian Dream leader Ivanishvili said the protest was legitimate, but the situation was exploited by the opposition parties to storm the parliament building, thus the police measures were necessary to prevent a
coup. The protests continued for months, demanding electoral reforms, snap elections, and resignations from the ruling party. Despite some concessions from Georgian Dream, such as the resignation of the chairman of parliament and the partial electoral amendments, the protests did not stop.
2020 parliamentary election ,
Strength is in Unity coalition's initial pick for PM candidate By March 2020, Strength is in Unity coalition had seen an exodus of parties with only five remaining: UNM, New Georgia,
Law and Justice, the European Democrats, and the Christian Conservative Party. The alliance experienced its largest setback in July 2020 after the group rejected the prime ministerial candidacy of Giorgi Vashadze. Vashadze's New Georgia and
Tako Charkviani's Law and Justice both left to form their own electoral bloc,
Strategy Aghmashenebeli. The Strength is in Unity bloc continuously polled higher than any other opposition group and other parties sought a certain level of cooperation to avoid competition. In August, 30 opposition parties, including the SU members, signed an agreement to field joint candidates in the various majoritarian districts of Tbilisi, although SU would break the agreement by nominating
Khatia Dekanoidze to run in the
Isani Majoritarian District, where other parties had already nominated Giorgi Vashadze. Meanwhile, SU's other nominees in Tbilisi (
Nika Melia in
Gldani and
Levan Khabeishvili in Samgori) were endorsed by the 30-party group. On 7 September, Strength Is in Unity nominated former President Mikheil Saakashvili as its nominee for Prime Minister of Georgia, a controversial choice as the UNM leader was at the time in exile in
Ukraine and had been convicted
in absentia by Georgian courts in 2018. Nonetheless, five political parties (UNM,
Progress and Freedom, State for the People, the Republican Party, and European Democrats) came together on 15 September and signed an agreement to formally recreate the SU coalition. The coalition's electoral list was led by singer
Vakhtang Kikabidze. Out of 30 majoritarian districts, four SU nominees were members of Progress and Freedom, while the other 26 were members of UNM.
Third term in opposition (2020-2024) Post-election political crisis Strength is in Unity won 27.1% in the
parliamentary election, winning 36 seats in the national legislature and finishing second, behind Georgian Dream. In
2020 Adjaran legislative election, which was held simultaneously, it won 34% and was the only opposition group to win seats in the
autonomous republic's legislature. However, SU joined other political parties in refusing to recognize the electoral results after allegations of voter fraud surfaced, boycotting majoritarian runoffs and entering either the parliament or the Supreme Council of Adjara. However, one of its elected members in Adjara from the Republican Party broke the boycott and entered the Supreme Council on 25 December. the leader of UNM from 2020 to 2023 In the aftermath of the election and the ensuing political crisis, the SU backed negotiations with Georgian Dream facilitated by the Western countries. While SU MPs formally renounced their mandates, Parliament formally rejected their suspension on 2 February, which allowed for negotiations to continue. The crisis worsened when authorities arrested UNM chairman and the
de facto leader of the coalition Nika Melia on 28 February. On 1 March 2021, EU Council President
Charles Michel launched new negotiations between Georgian Dream and the opposition to put an end to the political crisis with SU being represented by
Salome Samadashvili and
Akaki Minashvili from UNM and Khatuna Samnidze from the Republican Party. The sides reached an agreement on 19 April, although SU refused to sign the deal. This refusal proved to be controversial in the coalition with it leading to the Republican Party leaving Strength is in Unity, along with Grigol Vashadze and Salome Samadashvili, who each signed the agreement independently. Because of UNM not signing 19 April agreement, Georgian Dream pulled out of it citing its failure "to accomplish its goals".
2021 local elections On 1 October, on the eve of the first round of
2021 local elections, Mikheil Saakashvili announced his return from self-imposed exile. Saakashvili went live on Facebook and called on his followers to march on the capital, Tbilisi. Some government officials initially denied Saakashvili's arrival and said he was in Ukraine. However, the same day, Prime Minister of Georgia
Irakli Garibashvili held a press briefing, announcing that Saakashvili was arrested in Tbilisi. According to the investigation, Saakashvili entered the country secretly, hiding in a semi-trailer truck loaded with milk products. He illegally crossed the state border of Georgia, bypassing the customs control. In the first round of the election, UNM received 30.67% of the nationwide vote, with Melia, UNM's candidate for
Tbilisi mayoral election getting 34.01%. On 14 October, tens of thousands of Georgians rallied in Tbilisi to demand Saakashvili's release. In the second round of the vote, Melia received 44.39%, losing the runoff to the incumbent
Kakha Kaladze. Melia however improved on the margin he got in
2014, where he also ran as UNM's candidate for Tbilisi mayor, getting only 27.53% in the runoff.
2024 parliamentary election On 2 February 2022, UNM sent a delegation to
Ukraine to show solidarity amid the threat of an impending
Russian invasion. Additionally, on the one year anniversary of the invasion members of the UNM party were among the delegation that went to Ukraine to express solidarity with the country. UNM supported protests held in June 2022 calling for the resignation of Garibashvili as PM and the formation of an interim technocratic government citing the government’s failure to get EU candidate status. In January 2023, Levan Khabeishvili was elected as Chairman of UNM, defeating his predecessor Nika Melia. The party supported the
Russian law protests in 2023, and then once again in 2024. The government was widely condemned for the use of excessive and disproportionate force when dispersing protests. Riot police has been accused of consistent use of
violence and
torture against protestors as well as opposition political figures, including against UNM Chair Levan Khabeishvili. Due to his injuries, Khabeishvili decided to resign with
Tina Bokuchava taking over as the party chair. Even though law enforcement has claimed to have opened a case into the claims of the use of excessive force, no police officer has been charged yet. Additionally, the government has been accused of conducting an "Intimidation Campaign" against the opposition. UNM politicians have received threatening calls and their party offices have been vandalized. Their central headquarters in Tbilisi was attacked with large spears on 1 June. making a speech during the
2024 parliamentary election Since 2021, Strength is in Unity has existed only as a parliamentary faction. On 20 July 2023, the remaining SU members and Strategy Aghmashenebeli announced the formation of a political coalition titled
Victory Platform. The alliance was later renamed to Unity - To Save Georgia (which was itself altered to Unity – National Movement). On 17 August, European Georgia joined the coalition. The parties in the coalition are signatories to the
Georgian Charter initiated by the president Zourabichvili that sets out goals for a possible future government. == Ideology ==