Republican Party of Georgia

: "This article is on the political party in the nation of Georgia. For a political party in the U.S. state of Georgia, see Georgia Republican Party."Infobox_Georgian_Political_Party
party_name = Republican Party of Georgia
party_
leader = Davit Usupashvili
foundation = May 21, 1978
ideology = Liberal conservatism
international =
european =
europarl =
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headquarters = Tbilisi
website = [http://www.republicans.ge/ www.republicans.ge]
The Republican Party of Georgia ( _ka. საქართველოს რესპუბლიკური პარტია, "sak’art’velos respublikuri partia"), 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. [ka icon [http://www.parliament.ge/index.php?lang_id=GEO&sec_id=507 The Democratic Front faction: political platform.] Parliament of Georgia. Accessed on May 3, 2008.]

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 (KGB) 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. [http://www.republicans.ge/myuploads/Brief%20history%20of%20the%20Republican%20party%20of%20Georgia_Eng.pdf Brief history of the Republican Party of Georgia.] May 21, 2006. The Republican Party of Georgia website. Accessed on May 3, 2008.]

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. [ [http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=7186 ‘Think-Tank’ Republicans to Quit Ruling Coalition.] Civil Georgia. June 23, 2004.] 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.

References

External links

* [http://www.republicans.ge Republican Party of Georgia official website]