Parliament approves Prime Minister, renewed Cabinet
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Georgian Parliament Members (MPs) have approved and given their vote of confidence to the Prime Minister and updated list of cabinet members.
The vote of confidence was given with 103 votes in favour and 17 against after a long discussion at parliament.
A vote of confidence became needed after a major reshuffle took place in which several ministries merged and ministers changed in November.
Following the changes that now have been approved by parliament, the number of ministries have decreased from 18 to 14.
The newly approved Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia looks like this:
- Prime Minister – Giorgi Kvirikashvili
- Foreign Minister – Mikheil Janelidze
- Interior Minister – Giorgi Gakharia
- Economy Minister – Dimitry Kumsishvili
- Finance Minister – Mamuka Bakhtadze
- Defence Minister – Levan Izoria
- Education Minister – Mikheil Chkhenkeli
- Justice Minister – Thea Tsulukiani
- Environment Protection and Agriculture Minister – Levan Davitashvili
- Health Minister – David Sergeenko
- Culture, Monument Protection and Sport Minister – Mikheil Giorgadze
- Regional Development and Infrastructure Minister – Zurab Alavidze
- Corrections Minister – Kakhi Kakhishvili
- Refugees Minister – Sozar Subari
- Reconciliation and Civic Equality Minister – Ketevan Tsikhelashvili
Following the vote of confidence, Prime Minister Kvirikashvili said in his thank you speech that 2018 will be a year of dialogue and the government will cooperate with anyone interested.
Georgia’s Parliament is discussing whether or not approve the renewed Cabinet today. An extraordinary parliamentary meeting started at 12 pm. The discussion will be followed by a vote where lawmakers will or will not give confidence to the renewed Cabinet of Ministers.
The recent major reshuffle, in which several ministries will be merged and others – replaced, aims at making the Cabinet of Ministers more flexible, reduce bureaucracy and save administrative resources, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said today.
The criminal police should be more effective and should react more rapidly to the challenges that our society faces nowadays, says Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia.
Georgia’s economic team is working on a new reform that will further improve the country’s tax legislation and will result in additional surplus capital for the country.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has announced that Maia Tskhitishvili will be Georgia’s new Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure. Tskhitishvili has been the Head of the Government Administration since 2012. She will replace Zurab Alavidze, who took up the ministerial position in November 2016.