Former Alliance of Patriots MPs Launch ‘European Socialists’ Party
On January 9, four businessmen lawmakers – Avtandil Enukidze, Zaza Mikadze, Pridon Injia, and David Zilpimiani – that entered the new Georgian Parliament through the proportional list of nativist Alliance of Patriots (AoP) party launched the European Socialists Party.
The party elected MP Injia, 74, ex-Telecommunications Minister, and Labor MP in 2000-04, as its Chairman.
The new party will be the first opposition outfit in the 10th convocation of the Georgian Parliament as the remaining opposition parties are unanimously boycotting the legislature over “rigged elections.”
Elected Chairman Pridon Injia outlined the party’s key objectives at the founding assembly, among others, the restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity, reinforcing national independence, promoting the country’s economic potential, being critical of the judicial authorities, and supporting Euro-Atlantic integration.
The Parliament approved the mandates of Mikadze (#5 on AoP party list), Injia (#7), and Zilpimiani (#8) earlier on January 5, replacing the AoP party’s top three – Irma Inashvili, Giorgi Lomia and Gocha Tevdoradze, whose requests to annul their MP mandates had been granted by the Parliament the day before. Avtandil Enukidze (#4) announced on December 23 his decision to keep his mandate despite AoP declaring a boycott. Albeit the top AoP leaders withdrew their mandates, the Party did not cancel the entire party list, allowing the businessmen MP hopefuls to take up freed mandates.
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