**UN Tourism Chief Accuses Georgian Ruling Party of Sabotaging His Reelection Bid**
Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization, has made shocking claims against Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream. In an interview with Formula TV, Pololikashvili alleged that the party abruptly withdrew its support for his reelection bid after he hired Tea Maisuradze, a former ambassador to the Czech Republic.
According to Pololikashvili, the ruling party had initially endorsed his candidacy on January 25, but later retracted their support. He claimed that this was due to his decision to hire Maisuradze, who had recently resigned from her post amid a government crackdown on European integration. The move led to “hysteria” within the Georgian Dream party, with officials demanding Maisuradze’s immediate dismissal.
Pololikashvili maintained that he stood by Maisuradze, stating that she had worked with him for eight years and was not someone who could be fired easily. However, the dispute led to Maisuradze quitting her post voluntarily. The UN chief alleged that his relationship with the GD has deteriorated since then, and the party stopped helping him gather votes for his election campaign.
Maisuradze herself addressed Pololikashvili’s interview on May 16, stating that anyone who serves Georgia’s national interests, rather than Russia’s, is unacceptable to the regime. She also rejected a statement by GD’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that electing Pololikashvili for a third term would not be “particularly democratic.”
When asked about rumors of a deal between Georgian Dream and the UAE candidate in exchange for the extradition of Giorgi Bachiashvili, an ex-aide of Bidzina Ivanishvili’s aide, Pololikashvili declined to speculate. However, he did call the situation “a separate tragedy” and stated that his current goal is to understand why his candidacy was withdrawn, at what cost, and why it was done so quietly.
Pololikashvili also expressed concern about the impact of the GD’s U-turn on Georgia’s reputation on the international stage. He called the decline of the party’s support “the end of Georgia’s reputation on the international stage.”
**The Fallout**
The allegations made by Pololikashvili have sent shockwaves through Georgian politics, with many seeing it as a sign of a deeper crisis within the ruling party. The UN chief’s claims have also sparked concerns about the influence of external actors in Georgia’s internal affairs.
As the situation unfolds, one thing is clear: the relationship between the UN World Tourism Organization and Georgia’s ruling party has reached a breaking point. With the election looming, it remains to be seen how this will impact Pololikashvili’s chances of reelection.
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