Georgia’s ruling party Secretary General dismisses United National Movement rebranding as “PR bluff”

Kakha Kaladze, the mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday said that any attempt to rebrand the United National Movement was inconceivable given the party’s past actions, describing it as nothing more than a public relations exercise and a bluff.

In his remarks, Kaladze questioned who within the United National Movement would be responsible for carrying out a possible rebranding, saying that the party’s legacy before 2012 remains a major obstacle to any attempt at political renewal.

“Who is supposed to carry out this rebranding? How do you imagine rebranding this particular group, considering everything that took place in Georgia during the nine years leading up to 2012? We all remember very well how they treated the Georgian people and what their attitude toward them was”, Kaladze said.

The official argued that individuals associated with the party’s previous leadership, including imprisoned ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, could not simply change their political image through rebranding.

“Look at who these people are and what their past is. How can someone like Mikheil Saakashvili, for example, change? It is inconceivable. This is nothing more than a bluff and a PR-driven campaign. In reality, we all know very well what the United National Movement represents and what it was engaged in during the years it was in power”, he noted.

He further said that anyone seeking a role in politics must maintain a respectful relationship with citizens, adding that the UNM’s current conduct as an opposition party demonstrates the opposite.

“If you aspire to be involved in politics, it is unimaginable to have the kind of attitude toward the people that they had. Today, they demonstrate exactly how a political party should not behave when it is in opposition. That is what the United National Movement is”, Kaladze concluded.