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Akbar Novruz

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Imprisoned former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has announced plans to launch sweeping reforms of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), saying he will lead a new "Council of Reformers" aimed at fundamentally reshaping the party, AzerNEWS reports.

In a statement published on Facebook, Saakashvili said the council would "effectively build a new party and undertake the fundamental transformation of the UNM, bringing it into a new fighting shape."

The announcement came on Wednesday, the same day the mandates of all elected UNM officials, including party chair Tina Bokuchava, expired, fueling debate over the party's future leadership and organization.

Although Saakashvili holds no formal position within the UNM, he remains one of its most influential figures. He is currently serving prison sentences on multiple convictions handed down under the ruling Georgian Dream government, while additional legal cases against him remain pending.

"People are dissatisfied with the current state of the opposition and are demanding change. Therefore, we are launching fundamental and systemic reforms," Saakashvili wrote.

He said the proposed council would operate as a public platform open to "professionals and patriots" from both inside and outside the UNM, including individuals who have previously avoided party politics. According to Saakashvili, the body would function on a fully horizontal basis, with equal participation and a greater role for younger members.

Saakashvili named television presenter and anti-government activist Nanuka Zhorzholiani as the council's executive secretary, describing her as his principal liaison with emerging opposition figures he has been unable to meet while imprisoned.

Zhorzholiani later confirmed on Facebook that the council would move forward, indicating it would exist outside the party's formal structures. She said it would be open to "patriots of any profession, age or experience," including people who are not UNM supporters but share the goal of defeating Georgian Dream.

The discussion over reforming the UNM began in June, when Saakashvili first called for the party's "revitalization" and "radical reforms." At the time, he announced that Zhorzholiani would join the reform process with his full support.

Zhorzholiani later revealed that Saakashvili had initially offered her the position of party chair, although she said she declined the role. Bokuchava subsequently dismissed the claim, describing it as "political gossip."