The path from business ombudsman to the premiership – who is Giorgi Gakharia?
Candidate for the Georgian premiership Giorgi Gakharia, 44, appeared in Georgian politics in 2013. Photo: Interior Ministry press office.
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The Georgian Dream ruling party has nominated Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia for the premiership earlier today which has been followed by harsh criticism of the opposition and demonstrators who have been protesting the rally dispersal on Rustaveli Avenue on June 20-21 for 76 days.
The opposition and demonstrators, who have scheduled a rally against Gakharia at 7 pm today, say that the ruling party “gave a slap to the public and offended them,” with the decision, while for the ruling party Gakharia is a “savior who managed to fend off a storm on parliament” and a major crisis in the country ‘planned by the opposition.’
Gakharia took the post of interior minister and vice prime minister in November 2017, previously serving as minister of economy [2016-2017], secretary of the Economic Council [2014-16] and business ombudsman [2013- 2016].
He appeared in Georgian politics under the Georgian Dream leadership in 2013, a year after the Georgian Dream coalition created by Bidzina Ivanishvili defeated the nine-year-rule of the United National Movement.
Resignation of Gakharia was the only demand unfulfilled by the ruling party regarding the June rally. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
- Between 2008 and 2013 he was a director for Business Development and Government Relations for Europe, Russia and CIS in Lufthansa Service Holding AG. LSG in Frankfurt, Germany. Before this he was delivering lectures at Moscow State University [2006-2009] and served as the General Manager of SFK Group in Moscow, Russia between 2004 and 2008.
- He has Georgian and Russian diplomas in economics and political science, received at Tbilisi and Moscow State Universities.
While working as the business ombudsman Gakharia was frequently praised by the leaders of the ruling party for assisting businesspeople who suffered pressure and damage under the United National Movement leadership.
He continued meetings with business people and introduced them to government economic plans and strategies after promotion to the post of the minister of economy.
As Secretary of the National Security Council, Gakharia headed Georgia's security planning and coordination, working to forge closer security cooperation with Georgia's allies in the United States and Europe and advance Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts.
Gakharia replaced Giorgi Mgebrishvili as interior minister amid opposition allegations regarding increased crime.
The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office published the letter claimed by TBC Bank founder Mamuka Khazaradze to contain threats from Interior Minister Gakharia.
In the new role Gakharia declined the decision of his predecessor not to publish monthly crime statistics and said that the people should have been aware of the criminal situation in the country on a monthly basis.
He acknowledged that several crimes were increased and presented a new strategy on how to ensure improvements and prevent crimes.
He also initiated the creation of an innovative Human Rights Department of the Interior Ministry.
2018 and 2019 were the most scandalous in his career because of the case of TBC founders Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, the dispersal of the June rally in central Tbilisi, the marijuana cultivation bill and the police raid in night clubs.
In all cases Gakharia stated that he acted “in full line with the law and the state interests.”
The government plan for 2019-2020, submitted to parliament by the candidate for the premiership Giorgi Gakharia, reads that the top goal of the new government will be taking more active steps for Georgia’s faster integration into NATO and the EU and the further strengthening of relations with the US.
Peaceful demonstrations in front of the parliament of Georgia have resumed for the 76th consecutive day, this time protesting Giorgi Gakharia’s nomination as next Prime Minister.
Demonstrators, who have been protesting the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament on June 20 and demanding the resignation of Gakharia from Interior Minister’s position following the rally dispersal, gathered at 7 p.m. to protest his “promotion”.
The parliamentary opposition has suspended the first day of the autumn session in parliament with whistles and loud statements, protesting the nomination of Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia as the new PM of the country. A member of the European Georgia opposition Elene Khoshtaria started whistling as soon as the national anthem finished in parliament earlier today,
The Georgian Dream ruling party candidate for the premiership Giorgi Gakharia has already submitted the names of the nominees in the new cabinet to parliament which excludes only current Defence Minister Levan Izoria and nominates current head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri as the replacement of Gakharia.
The Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party has nominated current Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia to take up the premiership, following the resignation of Mamuka Bakhtadze yesterday. Gakharia thanked Ivanishvili “for the huge trust,” and said that he will present the cabinet and the government plan for MPs in parliament later today.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has confirmed his resignation in a long Facebook post earlier today, in which he cited the key challenges Georgia faces, in addition to the achievements the country has seen during his tenure.
MPs in the Georgian parliament have heard from the nominees for foreign minister and the minister of heath earlier today, before the legislators vote for the new cabinet of ministers later this week.The candidate for Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that Georgia will continue taking active steps towards the country’s integration into NATO and the EU and will ensure closer ties with one of its key strategic partners, the United States.
The candidate for interior minister and current head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri says that in the coming months 5,000 cameras in total will work around Georgia and 40 per cent of them will be equipped with a face and license plate recognition system.
The candidate for Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani says that the election lists have been refined under the Georgian Dream leadership, making it impossible to falsify the data of more than 3,100,000 voters.Tsulukiani says that there are 3,561,126 voters registered in Georgia and the refining of the remaining portion of the lists will continue for the country to have fully refined election lists for the 2020 parliamentary elections.
Working with partner business ombudsmen will strengthen Georgian companies in foreign markets, noted Business Ombudsman Irakli Lekvinadze at an international business conference “Creating Enabling Environment for Sustainable Business in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” earlier today.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has officially nominated Giorgi Gakharia for premiership.
The ruling Georgian Dream party nominee for the country’s premiership Giorgi Gakharia has presented his cabinet to parliament to be voted on, as well as a government programme - ‘Building of a European State.’ 10 of the 11 candidates in the cabinet remain unchanged, while former deputy Justice Minister Gocha Lortkipanidze was nominated to take over as justice minister.
International leaders have congratulated Giorgi Gakharia on his reappointment as Georgian Prime Minister. Gakharia has received letters of congratulation from Ukrainian, Slovak, German, Estonian, Italian and Azerbaijani leaders.
Gori Municipality Mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili has dismissed his two deputies for endorsing ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s party.
Seven employees of Khashuri City Council have left the ruling Georgian Dream today to join the political party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.