Nika Melia
Nika Melia | |
---|---|
ნიკა მელია | |
![]() Melia at the European People's Party assembly, 2017 | |
Chairman of The United National Movement | |
Assumed office 27 December 2020 | |
Preceded by | Grigol Vashadze |
Member of the Parliament of Georgia | |
In office 11 December 2020 – 5 October 2021 | |
In office 18 November 2016 – 12 December 2019 | |
Governor of the Mtatsminda District | |
In office 2013–2014 | |
Chairman of the political council of the United National Movement | |
Personal details | |
Born | Nikanor Melia 21 December 1979 |
Nationality | Georgian |
Political party | United National Movement |
Alma mater | Oxford Brookes University |
Nikanor "Nika" Melia (Georgian: ნიკანორ „ნიკა" მელია; born 21 December 1979)[1] is a Georgian politician who is a chairman of United National Movement and a former member of Parliament of Georgia. He was a member of parliament of Georgia from United National Movement from 2016 to 2019 and from 2020 to 2021. He was replaced by Badri Basishvili after left parliament in 2019. He holds a master's degree in International Relations from Oxford Brookes University.[2]
Biography
Nikanor Melia was born on 21 December 1979. In 2002, he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Academy of the Ministry of State Security of Georgia.[citation needed]
In 1996, Melia graduated from Tbilisi Secondary School No. 47. In 2002–03, he was an investigator at the Ministry of Security of Georgia. Graduated from Brooks University in 2006 with a degree in International Relations. In 2007, he worked as an advisor in the Department of Defense and Law Enforcement of the Office of the National Security Council of Georgia. In 2008–09, he worked as a Deputy Head of the National Bureau of Enforcement. In 2009–10, he was the head of the National Bureau of Enforcement. In 2010, he was the head of the National Agency for Execution of Non-custodial Sentences and Probation, a legal entity under public law under the Ministry of Corrections and Legal Assistance of Georgia. In 2010, he was appointed as the head of the Tbilisi Enforcement Bureau of the National Bureau of Enforcement, and in 2010–12 as the chairman of the same bureau.[citation needed]
In 2013–14, he was the governor of Mtatsminda. In 2014, he was a candidate for Tbilisi mayor. Since 2015, he has been the Deputy chairman and Acting Chairman of the Tbilisi branch of the United National Movement. In 2016–19, he was a member of the Parliament of Georgia of the 9th convocation by party list, election bloc: "United National Movement". During his time in Parliament he was a member of four parliamentary committees. In 2016–17, he was a member of the Finance and Budget Committee. From 18 to 25 November 2016, he was a member of the Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules. In 2016–17, he was the chairman of the parliamentary fraction "United National Movement". In 2017–19, he was a member of the Defense and Security Committee. In 2017–18, he was a member of the Health and Social Affairs Committee. He is the only opposition candidate to take 1st place in any of the rounds of the 2020 Georgian parliamentary election, but he boycotted and didn't participate in the second round. He rejected mandate in the parliament with 54 members because of alleged election fraud.[citation needed]
In June 2019, he was released on bail, having been charged with organising or managing group violence or participating in it, during the 20–21 June Georgian protests in Tbilisi.[3][4][5][6]
In December 2020, after the resignation of Grigol Vashadze, he was elected the Chairman of the United National Movement.[7][8]
On 23 February 2021, special forces and police stormed the UNM office and arrested Melia.[9]
Bail of Nika Melia – 40 000 GEL was transferred by the European Union on 8 May, and the Prosecutor's Office filed a motion to change the restraining order against the court yesterday, 9 May. Delegation of European Union in Georgia on 8 May: "Today, a bail worth 40.000 GEL was posted to allow for Mr. Melia's release from pre-trial detention. This follows the understanding reached by the political parties on April 19, 2021, in the context of the EU-mediated agreement. We would like to warmly thank two independent organisations who agreed to lend their valuable support in this process: the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) who made the funds available and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) who transferred these funds to the authorities."[10] On 10 May 2021, Melia left the prison.[11]
Personal life
He has a son, Sandro Melia (b. 2014). His father, Anzor Melia is a famous doctor in Georgia.[12]
Results in elections
Elections | Party | First round | Second round | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Place | Votes | % | Place | ||
Tbilsi Mayoral Elections | United National Movement | 92 125[13] | 27.97% | Second | 84 350 | 27.53%[14] | Second |
Gldani Majoritarian Elections | United National Movement-Strength is in Unity (coalition) | 31 391 | 44.06% | First | 3032 | 10.64% | Second[15] |
Tbilsi Mayoral Elections | United National Movement | 163 489 | 34.01% | Second | 206 598 | 44.40% | Second |
References
- ^ "Nikanor Melia". Parliament of Georgia. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Nikanor (Nika) Melia – United National Movement". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Genin, Aaron (2 July 2019). "Georgian Protests: Tbilis's Two-Sided Conflict". The California Review. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Georgian Parliament Strips Opposition Lawmaker Of Immunity Over Violent Protests". www.rferl.org. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
- ^ "Opposition party MP Nika Melia charged with violence at Tbilisi rally". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Opposition MP, charged with incitement to violence at Tbilisi rallies, released on bail". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Nika Melia becomes new UNM party chair". Agenda.ge. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ "Nika Melia elected new UNM head". OC Media. 26 December 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ ნიკა მელია დაკავებულია
- ^ "EU posts bail to free jailed Georgia opposition leader". The Guardian. 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Georgian Opposition Leader Released In Tbilisi After EU Posts His Bail". rferl.org. 10 May 2021.
- ^ "ნიკა მელიას პირადი ცხოვრება – გასაიდუმლოებული რომანი და ქალი, რომელმაც პოლიტიკოსს ვაჟი გაუჩინა". www.ambebi.ge. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ შედეგები არჩევნებზე
- ^ მეორე ტურის შედეგები[dead link]
- ^ He has boycotted second round of elections because of election fraud but his surname was on the ballot
External links
- All articles with dead external links
- Articles with dead external links from May 2021
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Use dmy dates from October 2020
- Articles without Wikidata item
- Articles containing Georgian-language text
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from April 2022
- 1979 births
- Living people
- Alumni of Oxford Brookes University
- Members of the Parliament of Georgia
- United National Movement (Georgia) politicians
- 21st-century politicians from Georgia (country)
- Politicians from Tbilisi