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Leading Member Of Georgia's Opposition Party Found Dead At Home


Nikoloz Rurua had served as Georgia's Culture Minister (file photo)
Nikoloz Rurua had served as Georgia's Culture Minister (file photo)

TBILISI -- A leading member of Georgia's opposition United National Movement party has been found dead in his apartment in Tbilisi.

Media reports said on December 4 that the preliminary cause of Nikoloz Rurua's death was a heart attack.

The 50-year-old politician was a close associate of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who became president after leading a bloodless revolution that forced Eduard Shevardnadze to step down in November 2003.

Rurua became a lawmaker after Saakashvili came to power and served as Georgia's Culture Minister between 2009 and 2012.

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