United National Movement

The United National Movement (Georgian ერთიანი ნაციონალური მოძრაობა / Ertiani Nazionaluri Modsraoba ENM ) is a political party in Georgia. It is a center-right party seeking liberal and democratic reforms in the Georgian political system and the country's accession into NATO and the European Union.

History

The ENM was founded in October 2001 by Mikheil Saakashvili, who also was its chairman. In April 2002, it merged with the Republican Party to the National Movement - together Democratic Front ( EMDP ). Successfully, the party won the Tbilisi city council election in June 2002. In November 2003 she was a winner of the Rose Revolution in Georgia.

On 5 February 2004, the EMDP concluded with the United Democrats of the late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, supporters of the Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze and a part of the supporters of Zviad Gamsakhurdia former President, the Union of National Forces for the National Movement - Democrats together (NMD ). Meanwhile, the party has adopted its original name United National Movement again, while the parliamentary faction the name National Movement - Democrats (Georgian ნაციონალური მოძრაობა - დემოკრატები / Nazionaluri Modsraoba - Demokratebi ) maintained.

In the parliamentary elections on 28 March 2004, the party won 66.24 % of the vote. In the Georgian Parliament, it was represented by 158 parliamentarians in two fractions. Democrats had 138 members, with its attendant fraction of the constituency MPs 20 members - The Group of National Movement. The party thus had a majority in the legislature. The city council of Tbilisi, it filled 34 of 37 seats.

In the parliamentary elections held in May 2008, the ENM has maintained its supremacy in Parliament. The party won 59.5 % of the votes, thus securing 120 of 150 assigned by proportional representation seats in parliament. In the parliamentary elections in October 2012, the ENM lost its majority to the party alliance Georgian Dream. The party slipped to 40.22 % of the vote and occupied just 63 of the 150 seats in parliament. At the formation of a government she was no longer involved. Your group is now the parliamentary opposition.

Principles and objectives

The ENM sees itself as a liberal- democratic party. It calls for drastic reforms against corruption and for greater transparency and public control of the government. In its election manifesto of March 9, 2004, she called for an expansion of the welfare state, an increase in pensions and an improvement in the investment climate. In foreign policy, the party aims to Georgia's integration into Euro- Atlantic structures, improving relations with Russia and strengthening of cooperation with the United States.

Wing of the party

The infrastructure of the party is considered to be very strong. The party accrued many new members. You could also rely on government resources in the election campaign. As an important wing of the party of " young leaf " apply to the influential parliamentarian Giga Bokeria and the " Zhvania - wing ", which consists of the followers of the late Prime Minister.

About the list of candidates to the Georgian parliamentary elections in March 2004, there were between the party leaders Saakashvili, Zhvania and Burjanadze clashes. The President of Parliament was unhappy with the list because they did not adequately represented on their followers. They received only 20 of 130 seats list. The supporters of Saakashvili occupied the majority of the island, followed by the followers of Zhvania. After the process was repeated on the parliamentary elections in Georgia in 2008, Burjanadze no longer stood as parliamentary candidate.

Spin-offs

Over the years 2004 and 2005 there were repeated with opposition spin-offs from the National Movement - Democrats. In June 2004, the " Republican Party " separated from the ENM. At the regional elections in Adjara she went to with its own dial list and accused the party later of electoral fraud. In November 2004, the deputies left Zviad Dzidziguri, Koba Davitashvili and Kacha Kukawa, supporters of former President Gamsakhurdia, the ENM. They founded the "Conservative Party of Georgia ".

In October 2005, several MPs left to the Deputy ENM Group Chairman in the Georgian Parliament, Dawit Zurabishvili the party and founded together with the parliamentarians of the " Conservative Party " the opposition faction " Democratic Front ". Keep the pace of reform is too slow and require a " Georgia without Shevardnadze remains ". On 25 September 2007, the co-founder and former ENM interior and defense minister Irakli Okruashvili announced the formation of the party Movement for a United Georgia known and sharply criticized the policy of Saakashvili and the ENM.

International Relations

The ENM - members in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe belong to ( ALDE). The ENM MP Giga Bokeria is Deputy Chair of the ALDE Group. Since March 2007, the ENM checks cooperation and collaboration with the European People's Party. Since 2008 she has in her observer status.

The party maintains close relations with the Ukrainian opposition party "Our Ukraine" (Ukrainian Наша Україна / Ukraine Corporation Nasha ). One of the NMD co-founder, Georgia late Prime Minister Zhvania had, in the spring of 2003, donations of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky for the campaign of presidential candidate of "Our Ukraine " Victor Yushchenko raised.