Block "United National Movement" election program
Block "United National Movement" election program
It is a strong desire of Georgian people to develop a free and democratic society, strengthen the supremacy of law and the governance system that is based on all citizens’ equality before law, is transparent and accountable to people, and is a guarantor of each citizen’s human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of speech, thought, conscience, religion and belief, freedom of creating associations and the right to participate in such. This kind of a political system is an essential prerequisite for the country’s development.

Due to the systemic democratic reforms, implemented in Georgia during the UNM (United National Movement) governance, a peaceful alternation of political power became possible. From this point of view, the parliamentary elections of 2012 represent an important step towards the establishment and strengthening of democratic institutions in Georgia. The UNM’s goal is that the country maintains this success and makes the process of democratic power renewal irreversible.
The post-elections year has shown that the pace of reforms has slowed down in a number of sectors, and in some cases even step back has been taken. Today it is obvious that the government is not able to fulfill its tasks, such as maintaining the economic growth, infrastructure development, investment attraction and, as a result, creation of new jobs; it fails to fight crime and maintain secure environment, adequately respond to the challenges faced by our country.
In such reality, the objective of Georgia’s president is to work for inalterability of the country’s foreign policy and for implementation of Euro-Atlantic choice of Georgian people; at the same time, the president should control the government, so that the government and parliamentary majority would take care of people’s problems and thereby fulfill their electoral promises.


Without education and science it is impossible to provide the country’s decent future, create a modern state, based on the values established in the civilized world. A consistent and proper education system, oriented at innovation and technological improvement is the major prerequisite for creation of well-paid jobs and, respectively, for improvement of living standards in the country.
It is essential to further update the school infrastructure, equip every school in accordance with modern requirements and supply them with necessary resources.
Under conditions of decentralization of the school education management, the state determines the national curriculum and carries out the education quality control, while the direct management of schools, budget management, as well as improvement of pedagogical and methodological approaches necessary for achievement of the educational objectives rests within the competence of schools’ self- governance.
At both secondary and higher education levels the “per pupil/student model” of educational grants’ allocation should be maintained, at the same time increasing the grant amount. This system will allow the increase of remunerations for Professors and Teachers, and bring other expenses necessary for the learning process closer to international standards.
The next phase of the educational reforms, carried out during the UNM governance period, should be the integration of overall national exams and high school final exams.
Regarding higher education, it is necessary that our universities keep moving towards their complete academic, administrative and financial autonomy.
State support of education and development in the field of technologies is a priority, a perfect example of which was the American Technological University project in Batumi. This and other similar projects should be continued with the support of the state and private initiatives. Also the education funding, aimed at financing our students studying under master's degree programs at the world's best universities, should be continued.
The vocational education system has to comply with the local and global market requirements, it has to be extremely diverse and evolve in close cooperation with business.
Introducing Georgia’s rich cultural heritage to future generations should be a part of education policy. Hence, it is important to modernize museums and libraries, make them to modern, attractive, diverse areas as for education, as well as for intellectual relaxing.


The UNM’s priority objective is consolidation and simplification of the tax system and reduction of interest rates. 21 taxes were managed to be reduced to 6 ones. The tax reduction should be continued – and it especially applies for income taxes - which is a precondition for increased job opportunities.


The pursuit of prosperity is a fundamental human right, and its implementation is only possible in a free environment. To provide each citizen's welfare, such a model of the county’s sustainable development should be established that is based on creation of the free economic environment.
The principles of this model are: a smaller government, fiscal discipline, responsible macroeconomic and sound monetary policies, low taxes, investment climate improvement, with introduction of targeted social programs.
The main objective of the UNM economic policy is the country’s rapid economic development, job creation, overcoming of poverty and unemployment, improvement of the population’s living standards, and, as the result of all above – achievement of more prosperity, social development and safety for each citizen of Georgia.
Recognizing the role that is assigned to Georgia in the process of energy resources supply from the Caspian Sea and Central Asian regions to the rest of the world by alternative ways, the UNM considers its effective operation one of the cornerstones of economy.
Another priority of Georgia is the strengthening of the country's energy independence. In this regard, it is important to maintain the diversification of energy supply sources. Georgia should become a major regional exporter of electricity, which, besides to the power generation increase, requires the construction of new transmission lines connecting the states.
It is also important to develop Georgia’s transport infrastructure. Baku - Tbilisi - Kars railway will facilitate the expansion of economic ties between East and West and bring Georgia even closer to European economic space. Construction of Lazika Port in Anaklia gulf will raise Georgia’s role as the transit corridor to new heights.
In the UNM’s opinion, the rapprochement with the European Union and opening of new export markets will generate strong incentives for job-creating process. Therefore, signing of a free trade agreement with the EU and relevant negotiations with the USA should be speeded up.

The United National Movement strives to create preconditions for availability of quality goods and services for people in Georgia. Georgia’s economic policy should aim at employment increase and creation of a competitive labor market in order to achieve the mentioned goal. An important factor for increasing the competitiveness of economy and citizens is the skilled labor training promotion.
In order to stimulate the creation of new jobs, tax cuts need to be made, as it was planned before the amendments to the Tax Code adopted in December 2012, and the labor market freedom should be retained. Low taxes mean more investments, more economic activity, more jobs and lower prices.
Business creates jobs. Therefore, in the opinion of the United National Movement, feeling safety and stability in the private sector is important for the employment promotion. Accordingly, a 5-year moratorium should be declared on such legislative changes that affect the financial-economic environment; the legislative body should adopt a law on amnesty for financial-economic crimes and on legalization of hidden taxes; decriminalization of financial-economic crime should be undertaken; prohibit inspections of private-owned companies by state controlling bodies without the court authorization; the obligation of submitting the information on economic freedom to the parliament should be added to the Ombudsman's annual report.

It is important that jobs are created not only in cities, but also the enterprises processing agricultural products start operating in regional centres. This will increase the demand for high-quality agricultural products, which, in turn, should become the basis for new investments to the field of agriculture.

Georgian healthcare policy should set an objective of promoting the quality and accessibility improvement for healthcare services. United National Movement believes that all citizens should be equally provided with quality medical services.
Along with protection of patient’s rights, the medical staff rights should be a priority, as well as decent working conditions and fair wages. Skilled personnel are the primary guarantee of high quality and efficient health services, for which, besides the university medical education, the development of Professional Medical Residency and modernization of skills improvement system have priority.
The United National Movement believes that the medical infrastructure rehabilitation projects should be continued, in order to provide our citizens in all regions the opportunity of receiving high standard and effective medical care. Therefore, it is necessary to modernize the insurance system, establish sound competition in this sector, and improve private or public insurance schemes for citizens.
It is necessary that the insurance packages include an extended list of drugs subject to the state reimbursement for the socially vulnerable part of population, and that the members of different groups have access to significant benefits.
Working in the pharmaceutical sector should be based on competition, which will reduce prices and provide high quality and cost-effective medicines to the population.
Primary healthcare, as well as the institution of village and family doctors should be still more supported financially and through participation in a wide range of insurance schemes. To improve the population’s health status characteristics it is essential that the public healthcare system becomes a priority, and efforts are made to promote the healthy lifestyle establishment.
Particular attention should be paid to maternal and child health, pregnancy surveillance, expansion of reproductive health services, which will improve the demographic data and make more realistic the achievement of the Millennium goals in Georgia.

Georgia’s social policy should contribute to the poverty reduction, improvement of living standards and establishment of a strong middle class. In the UNM’s opinion, it is necessary to create a better environment for job creation, as well as the development of the social security system that makes it even more focused on providing the families living below the poverty line with targeted social assistance.
In this regard, it is particularly important that Georgian government includes into the state budget of 2014 the costs, associated with the 1000 GEL voucher distribution, announced by the UNM before the parliamentary elections of October 1, 2012.
The voucher, along with the improvement of our population’s status, could become an effective social policy instrument – instead of the state bureaucracy cutting needs of all families in a same template, the state entrusts the families making a decision on what to spend the amount, provided through the issuance of the 1000 GEL voucher by the state.


Development and prosperity of the modern society is only possible through the maximal development and enactment of self-governance institutions. The electoral system should provide diversified representation both at the central and local levels.
The United National Movement aims to promote the maximal decentralization of the state system and transfer more authorities to the local self-government. Self-government as an instrument should guarantee that the system and its individual elements are protected from political changes, occurring as a result of any elections.
The UNM will become actively involved in the reform of the administrative-territorial system establishment, which provides the strengthening of local government and self-government institutions, and their development to the real foundation of the state management system.
Clear separation of functions of the central and regional authorities - the State Representative – Governor’s Office - should be undertaken gradually - and these functions should be delegated to lower levels. In this regards, it is of great importance to determine the governance form for the regional level and establish electivity principles.
The UNM believes that effective steps should be taken in the fiscal system decentralization. It implies delegation of certain fiscal competencies to the local self-government units. Establishment of such system will strengthen the local self-governments, equip them with more authority and create a competitive environment between different fiscal systems.
After such decentralization, it is important that the local self-government units, based on the competitiveness principle, receive as much tax incomes, as are necessary for the effective fulfillment
of the competencies delegated to them. At the same time, the country’s macroeconomic stability should be maintained and no such reduction of tax incomes to the country’s budget should take place that the central government becomes problems in the process of fulfilling its competencies.


To successfully implement the country’s de-occupation, the UNM considers it necessary that the international community becomes more active regarding Russian Federation’s actions, so that it takes the obligation of non-use of force against Georgia, meets the international law standards, including the principles of inadmissibility of locating foreign armed forces on the territory of a sovereign state without its consent, and fulfill absolutely all commitments of the EU-brokered agreement of August 12, 2008 on Ceasefire between Russia and Georgia.
One of the main components of de-occupation is the maintenance of the already established term “occupation” in international political and legal documents; continuation of non-recognition policy by the international community regarding the occupied territories of Georgia, and recognizing the ethnic cleansing and ethnics-based persecution facts in this region.
The United National Movement believes that Georgia, by use of all political, legal and peaceful means, must resist Russian Federation's actions, which will be directed to illegal change of the population’s demographic composition in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region and the existing property status.
The return of involuntarily displaced persons and refugees to their permanent places of residence, recovery of their property right and security guarantees must be provided with full respect for the justice, equality, human rights and freedoms, based on the international law principles and by creating other such conditions, which will enable them to benefit from the safe, voluntary and dignified return.
The United National Movement is determined to create such formats and incentive mechanisms, which would promote the rapprochement of the population of occupied territories with the rest of the country’s the population, deepening the relations between Georgian citizens, separated by dividing lines as a result of the occupation, and the gradual integration of this population in the unified state. For this purpose, during the United National Movement government, the "State Strategy on Occupied Territories - Engagement through Cooperation" and "Engagement Strategy Action Plan” were created in collaboration with international partners.


The UNM considers inacceptable any discrimination, any restrictions of political and civil rights on any grounds. While remaining faithful to the essence of common beliefs about family relationships, it condemns any violence and xenophobia expressions against members of sexual minorities.
11. Women’s participation in political life: Please, describe your position (if any) on increasing women’s participation in political life.
As I do not consider the acceleration of adopting all forms of quotation and so called gender mainstreaming to be correct, the United National Movement welcomes the further intensification of women in politics and the encouragement of this process, as well as the formation of political organizations, parties, women's organizations and encouraging women's representation on party lists, including by financial motivation.


The state should provide protection for its citizens' interests, rights and freedoms. For these reasons the United National Movement seeks to establish a society that is based on equality before the law, tolerance, justice and pluralism. One of its priorities is the equal participation of representatives of the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional Georgian nation in the country’s public and political life.
In the UNM's opinion, it is necessary to maintain and develop the cultural diversity and national identity, promote the integration of different ethnic or religious groups and their involvement in the country’s development. Conditions must be created for maintaining and developing the identity and culture of these groups.
The UNM considers important to strengthen ties to our compatriots living abroad, support the native language tuition to representatives of the diasporas and support the maintenance of cultural identity among them.
At the same time, the UNM considers the tolerance and diversity principle to be the most important issue. Without this it is impossible to respect and develop human rights. A state should protect legal rights of all denominations and restrict any expressions of xenophobia.
The UNM’s main priority is the protection of secularism. The UNM works to facilitate the separation of religion and politics, to protect the constitutional provisions, including the right of all citizens to consider themselves adherent to any religion, profession or confession.


Taking care of solving ecological problems is an integral part of taking care of the future generations’ health. The ecological way of thinking should be an integral part of economical views and projects.
During implementation of international and local projects the ecological safety should become of special importance. The cooperation with foreign investors in terms of renewable energy sources utilization should be actively continued. AT the same time, more efficient use of water resources should remain one of the main priorities of the country's energy policy, which is the essential condition for the national security and economic development.


Georgia is a part of European and Euro-Atlantic space. Accordingly, the integration processes taking place in Europe, particularly the NATO and EU expansion to East, are important for providing Georgia’s development and safety.
Recalling the firm will clearly expressed by Georgian citizens by the 2008 plebiscite, the United National Movement strives that Georgia becomes a member of European and Euro-Atlantic structures. This will allow our country to consolidate its democracy, as well as strengthen the prosperity of its citizens and its national security. Georgia is committed to the principle that every state has the sovereign right to choose its future path of development and the alliances, membership of which it wishes.
Gradual integration in the EU is one of the most important directions of Georgia’s political development. Improving and developing relations with the EU will facilitate the country’s economic development, strengthening of its political system, democratic institutions and security.
Hence, expansion of the institutional framework of the EU-cooperation considered being of great importance. Georgia should achieve that the use of the four freedoms (free movement of people, goods, services, capital) is available with respect of the European Union, which will promote the country's economic development and the creation of better conditions for its citizens.
For this reason Georgia has to maximally use the cooperation mechanisms, existing currently on the part of the EU, and aspire to obtain an additional framework and formats by emphasizing the European prospective.
Becoming a NATO-member is a strategic objective of Georgia’s foreign politics. In the UNM’s opinion, the NATO membership will provide Georgia solid guarantees of safety and sustainability and will play an important role in improving the safety in the entire region.
The NATO accession-related reforms will contribute to the strengthening of democratic institutions in Georgia, as well as the defense reinforcement.
The UNM still welcomes that Georgia is providing a significant contribution to the NATO-led operations, within the framework of which the tasks, successfully performed by Georgian armed forces, not only increases Georgia’s importance for the transatlantic security, but also enrich the experience of the armed forces.


The UNM attaches particular importance to the cooperation with neighboring countries, and to Georgia’s transformation to an economically attractive, peaceful and safe region of the Caucasus. Georgia traditionally has good relations with its neighboring countries: Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, Ukraine. Creation of a common economic space and a joint market with neighboring states will significantly contribute to the region’s stability and prosperity.
Georgia deepens its strategic partnership with the United States, as reflected in the US-Georgian Charter on strategic partnership signed in January 2009.
This document is intended to promote the development of bilateral relations in the fields of defense and security, economy, trade and energy, democracy strengthening and cultural exchanges by implementation of specific solutions, achieved within the framework of according working groups.
The UNM believes that continuation of tight cooperation with the region's countries, European Union, United States increases the chances to diversify energy sources and routes of transportation for our country and its neighbors. Increasing Georgia’s energy potential will have a positive impact on the country's security and economic development, as well as on the welfare of its citizens.
It is necessary to deepen the existing bilateral relations with European states, which will contribute to Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration process and bring more welfare to Georgian citizens. The cooperation with Asian, African, American and Oceania states should be continued, in order to continue the non-recognition policy and avoid the risks of recognizing the occupied regions.
The UNM attaches particular importance to the establishment of Georgia as the regional center and strengthening the country’s transit function, its more active involvement in the international energy, transport and communications projects.
At the same time, the absence of state border control between Georgia and Russian Federation on Abkhazian and Tskhinvali region sectors, and, generally, existence of occupied region within Georgia’s territory create favorable conditions for international terrorism and transnational organized crime. In the UNM's opinion, the public institutions must pay due attention to these matters.


Defense system is a state’s cornerstone. Military professionalism, their social security and stable career growth opportunities should be the state’s constant concern. It is impossible that Georgia has an army, able to deal with any external opponent forces. But it is possible and desirable that Georgian armed forces could make an aggressor to reconsider his hostile actions and hold back the opponent, until the international community intervenes. Accordingly, the aim of the measures, purposed on strengthening the ability to defense, should be the provision of full compliance of the training and education system with modern standards, improvement of management and control, interoperability with the NATO, and the Euro-Atlantic integration support. Through its participation in the NATO-led operations Georgia undertakes the adaptation of its armed forces to new challenges, operational environment and objectives.
At the same time, one more but not the last task is to strengthen the civil democratic control over the armed forces. It is the guarantor of the military professionalism, as well as sound military-civilian relations.


Providing security is the state’s one of the - if not the only - main objectives. It should be based on the understanding of expansion-transformation of threats’ nature in modern conditions, and the adoption of so-called cooperation-oriented security policy. For the latter, the cooperation in security space with the NATO and EU countries is crucial, as well as active efforts within the OSCE and regional context, maximal utilization of the UN format.
The UNM believes that Georgia should continue the reforms, aimed at the improvement of the security system efficiency, which will provide a closer coordination between the security ensuring institutions, improve the quality of interaction between the military and civilian components and enable the institutions involved in state security sector to develop relevant departmental strategies. Further strengthening of the democratic civilian control over the military forces and entire security sector is a cornerstone of this process.

An imperative prohibition would deepen the problem instead of its solving.
The mentioned issues should be regulated by the freedom of contracting between the subjects of the private law.
Considering certain specifics on sites, the land alienation - to foreign investors, among others - is an important factor of economic growth.
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