National Movement-Democrats by Levan Urushadze

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The political organization National Movement-Democrats (NMD. Former United National Movement) is a greatest political organization of the Republic of Georgia. NMD was founded as a United National Movement (UNM) in October 2001 by Mikheil Saakashvili. It is a centre-right, moderately nationalist party which favours radical reform of the Georgian state and closer ties with NATO and the European Union.

The United National Movement and its partners in the opposition played a central role in the November 2003 political crisis that ended in the forced resignation of President Shevardnadze. The opposition parties strongly contested the outcome of the November 2, 2003 parliamentary elections, which local and international observers criticised for numerous irregularities.

After the fall of Shevardnadze, the party joined forces with the United Democrats and the Union of National Solidarity to promote Saakashvili as the principal opposition candidate in the presidential elections of January 4, 2004, which he won by an overwhelming majority. Fresh elections are planned for March 28, 2004 following the annulment of the November parliamentary elections.

The United National Movement and the United Democrats had amalgamated some days before starting of pre-election campaign of the Parliamentary Elections of March 28, 2004. New political movement was named the "National Movement-Democrats".