Page 48 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine September 2024

48 I Eurasia bne September 2024
Tinatin Bokuchava was elected chair of Georgia’s leading opposition party, the United National Movement, in June. / UNM
INTERVIEW:
Georgia's United National Movement chair Tinatin Bokuchava
Ailis Halligan in Tbilisi
This October’s general election is
“a referendum between Georgia’s European future or non-European future”, Tinatin Bokuchava, the recently elected chair of Georgia’s leading opposition party, the United National Movement, told bne IntelliNews in an interview in Tbilisi.
In the elections the Georgian
people will face a choice between rapidly consolidating, Russian-style authoritarianism under the ruling Georgian Dream party, and a democratic future aligned with Euro-Atlantic values should the pro-Western opposition take power, the UNM leader argues.
“If the elections reflect the will of the
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citizens I am certain this will bring about regime change,” Bokuchava says, suggesting that an end to 12 years of Georgian Dream rule could be imminent.
Despite its pro-European rhetoric, controversial actions by Georgian Dream have so far succeeded in sabotaging Georgia’s accession to the EU, most recently by passing a “foreign agent” (dubbed Russian) law aimed at cracking down on NGO operations in the country.
“[Georgian Dream founder Bidzina] Ivanishvili’s anti-democratic, and therefore, anti-Western policies have not only threatened the EU path but have irreversibly derailed it,” claims
Bokuchava. “The door is closed for Georgia...Ivanishvili has closed it”.
Recent GD legislation has indeed forced Brussels to unequivocally “pause” Georgia’s EU membership process and negotiations will not resume until Georgia is firmly back on a Europe-approved track, EU officials have indicated.
Should her party win a majority in the autumn, Bokuchava explains, the main goal of a UNM government – and of the whole Georgian nation – will be making the necessary changes to quickly return Georgia onto the European path.
“I believe that if there is peaceful regime change in October, then very quickly