Georgia's ex-PM Kvirikashvili: ‘Gov’t made severe mistake, was late to admit’
Giorgi Kvirikashvili responded to the developments of the protest rally in front of the parliament of Georgia on June 20. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
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Georgia’s ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili responded to the June 20 developments in front of the parliament building in central Tbilisi, saying “the government has made a severe mistake, to which it admitted, but was late with its political response.”
He said a part of the opposition has used the situation to direct the fair wave of protest into a “dangerous and destructive way”, which resulted in “the more severe mistake [of the state]” of using rubber bullets against some protesters last night.
Kvirikashvili also noted that there was “unjustified attack“ from protesters to police, while trying to break the police cordon last night.
He also believes that today’s resignation of Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze may only temporarily chill down the protest wave.
People had gathered in front of the parliament of Georgia on June 20 to protest a Russian delegation's visit to Georgia. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
To “bring the situation out of the deadlock” Kvirikashvili advises the ruling party and in particular its leader Bidzina Ivanishvili to “immediately announce a political reform” to:
- hold the next year’s parliamentary elections in a fully proportional way;
- make voting in elections mandatory for the citizens of Georgia.
Kvirikashvili also suggests that the ruling party should announce snap parliamentary elections and calls on the Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia to take political responsibility over those injured during yesterday’s clash and resign.
This is how the Georgian Dream will manage to preserve public trust not only for the political processes, but also keep the opportunity of leading these processes”, Kvirikashvili wrote on his official Facebook page.
He concluded that this would let Georgia retain its positions on the “western orbit” as the regional leader as well.
Georgian police have seized 12 Molotov cocktails in Tbilisi and arrested one individual, born in 1949. The Interior Ministry reports that the detainee planned to use the explosives during the protest rally which is currently underway at Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi.
People started gathering on Rustaveli Avenue at 7 p.m. today, after a rally was held and dispersed at the same place in front of the parliament yesterday. Many demonstrators have negatively reacted to the speeches of opposition leaders, stating that they came to protect the state interests and not to stand by any opposition force.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has responded to unrest that started on June 20 and stated that unrest and confrontations in the country affect each citizen of Georgia and benefits enemy.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili spoke with foreign diplomats about the June 20 protest and expressed her readiness to meet every political force that rejects the “destructive calls”. “We have no option but unification, reconciliation and following our European path”, she stated.
The peaceful demonstration in front of the parliament of Georgia in central Tbilisi is still underway. The demands that were voiced by the protesters at the very beginning of the rally remain unchanged: the resignation of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia; the release of people detained yesterday and holding of snap parliamentary elections with proportional electoral system.
Russian officials on Friday called for boycott of tourism and trade relations with Georgia following what President Putin's administration called a "Russophobic provocation" in Tbilisi clashes the previous day.
The official Kremlin response decried the events as a "dangerous display", while the State Duma's Tourism Committee head called for boycott of Georgian tourist resorts and trade goods, among reactions.
Former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili says that it is ‘not serious’ to connect his resignation back in June 2018 with the UNICEF study that year which said that the children's poverty remained as one of the key issues for the country.