Union of Citizens of Georgia

Union of Citizens of Georgia
საქართველოს მოქალაქეთა კავშირი
General SecretaryEduard Shevardnadze
Founded21 November 1993[1]
Dissolved23 November 2003
HeadquartersTbilisi
Ideology
Political positionSyncretic
European affiliationParty of European Socialists (observer)
International affiliationSocialist International
Colours  Blue
  Yellow

Union of Citizens of Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოს მოქალაქეთა კავშირი, romanized: sakartvelos mokalaketa k'avshiri) (UCG) (also known as the Citizens' Union of Georgia or Georgian Citizens' Union) was the ruling party of Georgia from 1993 to 2003. It was established by the president Eduard Shevardnadze, who had previously server as the Communist leader of the Georgian SSR from 1972 to 1985, and David Chantladze, former General Trade Representative of the Soviet Union to Czechoslovakia.

Shevardnadze led the party to victory in the 1995 and 1999 parliamentary elections, however the party disbanded soon after his removal from power in the aftermath of the Rose Revolution, which occurred following the 2003 parliamentary election which was widely seen as being rigged.[5]

During UCG’s rule, the country suffered from severe corruption and political instability. The government is generally described as being "semi-authoritarian" tolerating pluralism and political competition as long as it did not substantially challenge the party’s grip on power.[5][6] UCG is described as having distinct conservative and liberal factions, the latter of which advocated for reforms.[3][5] In foreign policy UCG supported Georgia’s membership in the European Union and NATO.[4]

  1. ^ "Chronology for Abkhazians in Georgia". Refworld. 2004.
  2. ^ ""Євроінтеграція Грузії: аналіз провалу опозиції на парламентських виборах 2020 року"". ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/.
  3. ^ a b c d Losaberidze, David. "THE PROBLEM OF NATIONALISM IN GEORGIA" (PDF). www.nato.int. NATO. p. 19. Retrieved 30 December 2018. ideological opposition being largely determined by the composition of the leading party the "Citizens Union". As distinct from the party's liberal and pro-western headquarters, the core of its regional units consists of former conservative nomenclature, favouring an iron hand and state controlled economy
  4. ^ a b Peuch, Jean-Christophe (22 November 2002). "Georgia: Shevardnadze Officially Requests Invitation To Join NATO". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference nodia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ G. I Melvyn Howe; David Marshall Lang. "Independent Georgia". Britannica.