1. Nikanor "Nika" Melia is a Georgian politician, former chairman of the United National Movement party and former member of Parliament of Georgia.
16 Facts About Nika Melia
1. 2.
Nika Melia was a member of the parliament of Georgia from United National Movement from 2016 to 2019 and from 2020 to 2021.
3.
Nika Melia holds a master's degree in International Relations from Oxford Brookes University.
4.
In 1996, Melia graduated from Tbilisi Secondary School No 47.
5.
Nika Melia was one of the organizers of the 2019 Georgian protests, which ended with the attempt to storm the parliament building and subsequent violent dispersal of the protests by the special forces.
6.
In result, Nika Melia was charged with organizing or managing group violence or participating in it.
7.
Nika Melia was the only opposition candidate to take first place in the first round of the 2020 Georgian parliamentary election, but he boycotted and didn't participate in the second round.
8.
Nika Melia rejected mandate in the parliament with 54 opposition members because of alleged election fraud.
9.
On 1 November 2020, Nika Melia was one of the leaders of the opposition rally demanding repeat parliamentary elections.
10.
In December 2020, after the resignation of Grigol Vashadze, Nika Melia was elected as the chairman of the United National Movement.
11.
Nika Melia's decision was in reaction to the Georgian Dream's withdrawal from the agreement signed with the opposition on the electoral and judicial reforms.
12.
In January 2023, Nika Melia was defeated by Levan Khabeishvili in the United National Movement's internal elections and unseated as the party's chairman.
13.
However, after the elections Nika Melia congratulated Khabeishvili on his victory.
14.
In December 2023, Nika Melia quit the UNM and announced the creation of his own party, called Ahali.
15.
Nika Melia is a co-founder and co-leader of the Coalition for Change, an informal political coalition of three opposition parties, alongside Nika Gvaramia, Zurab Japaridze and Elene Khoshtaria.
16.
Nika Melia's father, Anzor Melia is a well-known doctor in Georgia.