For Georgia (Georgian: საქართველოსთვის, romanized:sakartvelostvis) is a political party in Georgia founded by former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. The presentation of the party was held on May 29, 2021.
History
Giorgi Gakharia resigned as Prime Minister on February 18. According to him, it was unjustified to arrest the chairman of the United National Movement, Nika Melia, in conditions when there was a danger of political escalation. According to Giorgi Gakharia, the reason for his resignation was also that he could not reach an agreement with the Georgian Dream team.[3]
On March 22, 2021, Gakharia announced that he remains in politics and is working to set a political agenda.
On April 14, 2021, the Georgian Dream Party and the parliamentary majority were abandoned by MPs Giorgi Khojevanishvili, Beka Liluashvili, Ana Buchukuri, Alexander Motserelia, Shalva Kereselidze and Mikheil Daushvili. According to the deputies, they are forming a new party together with Giorgi Gakharia.[4]
3 majoritarians left the Georgian Dream and were elected by 3 party lists. Giorgi Khojevanishvili was the governor of Shida Kartli before being elected as a majoritarian MP in Gori-Kaspi. Alexander Motserelia, the former governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, is currently the majoritarian MP of Abasha-Martvili-Tsalenjikha-Chkhorotsku, and Shalva Kereselidze, the former governor of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, is majoritarian of Mtskheta-Dusheti-Tianeti-Kazbegi.
Ana Buchukuri, elected from the Georgian Dream party list, was in the government of Giorgi Gakharia, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister, Beka Liluashvili – Adviser to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs, and Mikheil Daushvili – Business Ombudsman.[5]
On May 28, Giorgi Gakharia was joined by Giorgi Abashishvili, Head of the Presidential Administration of Georgia, and Levan Dolidze, former Ambassador of Georgia to NATO.
On July 9, former Zugdidi mayor Giorgi Shengelia, who had resigned from his post two months earlier, joined For Georgia.[6]
On July 14, seven high-ranking assembly members of the Khashuri municipal council left the local Georgian Dream party and joined Gakharia's party.[7]
On 16 July, the party gained a new member in Zviad Dolidze, member of the Rustavi City Assembly and Deputy Chairman of the Georgian Dream in the assembly.[8]
On 21 July, it was announced that former footballer Archil Arveladze would possibly be For Georgia's candidate for Tbilisi mayor in the 2021 Georgian local elections.[9]
During the 2024 parliamentary election campaign, the party leader Giorgi Gakharia incorporated some of the social policies into his rhetoric, such as promising to increase the minimum wage from the nominal 50 lari to 950 lari, introducing 6-month unemployment benefits and tying the increase of pensions with that of the economy.[11]
In April 2024, the party voiced its support for "ruling party's aspirations to protect family values".[12] In June 2024, despite not attending the discussions in the Parliament of Georgia on the proposed bill to outlaw the "LGBT propaganda" in the country and being accused by the ruling Georgian Dream party of "supporting the LGBT propaganda", the MP Mikheil Daushvili said that the party opposes "propaganda directed at children, especially LGBT propaganda".[13] However, the party considers the ban on LGBT propaganda to be an insufficient measure to encourage the family values, with the MP Shalva Kereselidze saying that the party requires "higher support from the state for the enhancement of the Georgian families", such as more state support for the regions in which the demographic situation is declining due to economic problems.[12]