Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia Present “Ahali” Political Alliance

Nika Gvaramia, founder of the opposition-leaning Mtavari Arkhi TV, together with Nika Melia, former Chair of the UNM, announced the formation of a new political alliance called “Ahali” (Georgian – ახალი, meaning “new”), which will contest the upcoming parliamentary elections under the number 4 on the electoral list.

The two co-founders presented their political alliance today, March 11, at a special event at the Sheratoni Hotel in Tbilisi. In their speeches, Gvaramia and Melia emphasized the importance of embracing future changes.

“Our party is new… We are fighting with new means for changes in Georgia …Straight to the future, no past, [we are] only talking about the future,” Nika Gvaramia said in his speech, adding that they are not calling anyone to “join” but rather to “unite”.

“Our fight, our belief in victory has a concrete name from now on and that name is Ahali [“new”]….full focus on the future…we are not evaluating the past, we are interested in the future achievements,” Nika Melia said.

According to the two co-founders, they will co-chair the party. They also told journalists that the presentation of the party’s political congress will be held next month.

The members of the party will include, among others: Giorgi Kirtadze, the former UNM member in the Adjara region who left the party on December 4, Maia Kopaleishvili, former Constitutional Court judge, Giorgi Imedashvili, former UNM member, Anzor Melia, doctor and father of Nika Melia, Nodar Chachanidze, activist, etc.

Nika Melia was the former Chair of Georgia’s largest opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), until January 2023, when he was defeated by Levan Khabeishvili, who became the party’s new leader.

Shortly before the elections, Melia was accusing former Interior and Defense Ministers Vano Merabishvili and Davit Kezerashvili, of using “vicious, KGB-like methods” to unseat him and promote Khabeishvili. The party has since been in turmoil.

Internal disputes in the UNM intensified especially after the current leader Levan Khabeishvili expelled former leader Nika Melia from the party on November 27, 2023. Following the decision, Melia officially left the party on December 7 and announced that he was forming his own.

Nika Gvaramia is the founder of the opposition-leaning media outlet Mtavari Arkhi TV. In 2022, he was controversially arrested and sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with business dealings at his former media outlet, Rustavi 2 TV. He was pardoned by President Salome Zurabishvili on June 22, 2023.

In late 2023, Gvaramia announced plans to re-enter politics and form his own party, which he named “New” [Ahali]. Recently, he quited the management of Mtavari and transferred his 12 percent stake in the media to his wife, saying that owning media shares is not “compatible” with the party position.

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