Republican Party of Georgia
Encyclopedia
The Republican Party of Georgia , commonly known as the Republicans (რესპუბლიკელები, respublikelebi), is a political party in Georgia
active since 1978. It is currently in opposition to Mikheil Saakashvili
’s government. The party is no longer represented in the newly elected Parliament of Georgia
(see Georgian legislative election, 2008
) and only maintains its representation in Tbilisi
City Assembly and Adjara
's Supreme Council. The current chairman is Davit Usupashvili. The party’s declared platform
includes the reforms of local self-governance, economy and a free and independent judiciary system. It supports Georgia’s pro-Western
line and bids to join the NATO and European Union
.
) between 1983 and 1984 and imprisoned on charges of “anti-Soviet campaign and propaganda.” In Georgia’s first multi-party elections on October 28, 1990, the Republicans won 3 seats in the Supreme Council of Georgia and joined the Democratic Center faction which was in opposition to the Round Table-Free Georgia majority and its leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia
. In June 1991, the party garnered 20% of votes in Georgia’s southwestern autonomous republic
of Adjara
where they turned into a major opposition to Aslan Abashidze
’s increasingly authoritarian regime. After Gamsakhurdia’s fall in a coup in January 1992, the Republicans were represented in a provisional State Council of Georgia, and formed a 10-member opposition faction in the Parliament of Georgia
elected on October 11, 1992, but failed to obtain any seat in the next two parliamentary elections on 1995 and 1999, respectively. Yet, many members of the party remained energetically engaged in civil society and criticized Eduard Shevardnadze
’s increasingly unpopular government.
In 2002, the party forged an alliance with Mikheil Saakashvili
’s United National Movement (UNM) and shared its success in the 2002 local and 2003 parliamentary elections. The party was instrumental in the 2003 Rose Revolution
which forced Shevardnadze into resignation, and played a prominent role in Aslan Abashidze’s removal during the 2004 Adjara crisis. The Republicans run independently in the Adjarian legislative election in June 2004, but managed to secure only 3 seats in Adjara’s 30-member Supreme Council. The party accused the UNM of having rigged the election and the dispute resulted in the final split between the former allies. In 2005, the Republican members of Georgia’s parliament united with the Conservative Party of Georgia
and a few non-party MPs into the opposition Democratic Front faction led by Davit Berdzenishvili, the party’s veteran member.
Since then, the Republicans have been in moderate opposition to Saakashvili’s administration. They joined other opposition parties in the 2007 anti-government
demonstrations and supported a joint opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze
in the early 2008 presidential election
.
After a political setback suffered in the 2008 parliamentary elections, the Republican Party of Georgia forged an alliance with the New Rights Party
on December 8, 2008. Both parties united in "The Alliance for Georgia" led by Irakli Alasania
, Georgia's ex-envoy to the United Nations
in February 2009.
On July 8, 2009, the 13th National Congress of the Republican Party of Georgia was held. The Congress adopted new version of Party Statute, 35 members of National Committee and 5 members of Inspection Commission were elected on a competitive basis. David Usupashvili was elected as the chairman of the Party at the National Congress.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
active since 1978. It is currently in opposition to Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
’s government. The party is no longer represented in the newly elected Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...
(see Georgian legislative election, 2008
Georgian legislative election, 2008
Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on May 21, 2008. President Mikheil Saakashvili proposed a referendum on bringing them forward from October to April after the 2007 Georgian demonstrations...
) and only maintains its representation in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
City Assembly and Adjara
Adjara
Adjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
's Supreme Council. The current chairman is Davit Usupashvili. The party’s declared platform
Party platform
A party platform, or platform sometimes also referred to as a manifesto, is a list of the actions which a political party, individual candidate, or other organization supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said peoples' candidates voted into political office or...
includes the reforms of local self-governance, economy and a free and independent judiciary system. It supports Georgia’s pro-Western
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
line and bids to join the NATO and European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
History
The Republican Party of Georgia emerged as an underground political organization in then-Soviet Georgia on May 21, 1978, and campaigned for an independent Georgia, human rights and free market economy. However, the party’s leading members were arrested by the Soviet State Security Committee (KGBKGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
) between 1983 and 1984 and imprisoned on charges of “anti-Soviet campaign and propaganda.” In Georgia’s first multi-party elections on October 28, 1990, the Republicans won 3 seats in the Supreme Council of Georgia and joined the Democratic Center faction which was in opposition to the Round Table-Free Georgia majority and its leader Zviad Gamsakhurdia
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
Zviad Gamsakhurdia was a dissident, scientist and writer, who became the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era...
. In June 1991, the party garnered 20% of votes in Georgia’s southwestern autonomous republic
Autonomous republic
An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Many of these republics were established during the Soviet...
of Adjara
Adjara
Adjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
where they turned into a major opposition to Aslan Abashidze
Aslan Abashidze
Aslan Abashidze was the leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia from 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pressure of the central Georgian government and mass opposition rallies during the 2004 Adjara crisis, and has since lived in Moscow, Russia...
’s increasingly authoritarian regime. After Gamsakhurdia’s fall in a coup in January 1992, the Republicans were represented in a provisional State Council of Georgia, and formed a 10-member opposition faction in the Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia
Parliament of Georgia is the supreme legislature of Georgia. It is unicameral and has 150 members, known as deputies, from which 75 members are proportional representatives and 75 are elected through single-member district plurality system, representing their constituencies...
elected on October 11, 1992, but failed to obtain any seat in the next two parliamentary elections on 1995 and 1999, respectively. Yet, many members of the party remained energetically engaged in civil society and criticized Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
’s increasingly unpopular government.
In 2002, the party forged an alliance with Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili is a Georgian politician, the third and current President of Georgia and leader of the United National Movement Party.Involved in the national politics since 1995, Saakashvili became president on 25 January 2004 after President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned in a November 2003...
’s United National Movement (UNM) and shared its success in the 2002 local and 2003 parliamentary elections. The party was instrumental in the 2003 Rose Revolution
Rose Revolution
The "Revolution of Roses" was a change of power in Georgia in November 2003, which took place after having widespread protests over the disputed parliamentary elections...
which forced Shevardnadze into resignation, and played a prominent role in Aslan Abashidze’s removal during the 2004 Adjara crisis. The Republicans run independently in the Adjarian legislative election in June 2004, but managed to secure only 3 seats in Adjara’s 30-member Supreme Council. The party accused the UNM of having rigged the election and the dispute resulted in the final split between the former allies. In 2005, the Republican members of Georgia’s parliament united with the Conservative Party of Georgia
Conservative Party of Georgia
The Conservatives Party of Georgia is a centre-right and nationalist political party, active in Georgia since 2001.Currently led by its acting chairman Zviad Dzidziguri, the party had been allied with Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement until May 2004 when it switched into opposition...
and a few non-party MPs into the opposition Democratic Front faction led by Davit Berdzenishvili, the party’s veteran member.
Since then, the Republicans have been in moderate opposition to Saakashvili’s administration. They joined other opposition parties in the 2007 anti-government
2007 Georgian demonstrations
The 2007 Georgian demonstrations were a series of anti-government protests in Georgia. The demonstrations peaked on November 2, 2007, when 50,000-100,000 rallied in downtown Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. People protested against the allegedly corrupt government of president Mikheil Saakashvili...
demonstrations and supported a joint opposition candidate Levan Gachechiladze
Levan Gachechiladze
Levan Gachechiladze is a Georgian politician and businessman who ran as the main oppositional candidate in the 5 January Georgian presidential election, 2008.-Life and family:...
in the early 2008 presidential election
Georgian presidential election, 2008
A presidential election was held in Georgia on January 5, 2008, having been brought forward by President Mikheil Saakashvili after the 2007 Georgian demonstrations from the original date in autumn 2008....
.
After a political setback suffered in the 2008 parliamentary elections, the Republican Party of Georgia forged an alliance with the New Rights Party
New Right (Georgia)
The New Rights Party of Georgia , also translated as New Conservative Party is a liberal conservative party in Georgia...
on December 8, 2008. Both parties united in "The Alliance for Georgia" led by Irakli Alasania
Irakli Alasania
Irakli Alasania is a Georgian politician and former diplomat. He was Georgia’s Ambassador to the United Nations from September 11, 2006, until December 4, 2008. His previous assignments include Chairman of the Government of Abkhazia and the President of Georgia’s aide in the Georgian-Abkhaz talks...
, Georgia's ex-envoy to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in February 2009.
On July 8, 2009, the 13th National Congress of the Republican Party of Georgia was held. The Congress adopted new version of Party Statute, 35 members of National Committee and 5 members of Inspection Commission were elected on a competitive basis. David Usupashvili was elected as the chairman of the Party at the National Congress.