Levan Khabeishvili, a member of the United National Movement opposition party, confirmed he would run for the chairmanship of the largest opposition group in Georgia after having initially dismissed reports on the intent.
In a briefing, Khabeishvili said he had made the decision after days of consultations with “friends and colleagues” and following the public calls by several members for a change in party leadership last Wednesday.
The opposition politician claimed if elected he would end “internal divisions” in the party which ran the country for nine years before its defeat by the current Georgian Dream government in the 2012 parliamentary elections, and said the UNM was “in need of a leader who will unite, and not divide” the party.
The incumbent chair of the party, Nika Melia, has also announced his plans to run for the post after criticising his party members for the unexpected calls of leadership elections.
