Cabinet reshuffle: Who are the new ministerial nominees?
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Today Georgia’s Acting Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili presented the people he nominated for ministerial posts in the country’s new Cabinet of Ministers.
Out of Georgia’s 18-member Cabinet, 14 ministers remained the same, one had switched from one ministry to another and three ministers were new.
Learn more about the new names in Georgia’s new Cabinet below.
Giorgi Gakharia nominated as Minister of Economy
Giorgi Gakharia. Photo by the PM's press office.
Giorgi Gakharia has served as Georgia’s Business Ombudsman since February 2013 after being named to the role by then-Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili.
In December 2014, Gakharia was appointed Secretary of the Economic Council under the Prime Minister, while retaining his position as Business Ombudsman.
One of the significant events during his service as the country’s Business Ombudsman was that Gakgaria ended a major coal miners’ strike after he mediated seven hours of talks in March 2016.
Gakharia, a Lomonosov University graduate who holds a Master’s degree in business management and political studies, was named number five on the Georgian Dream’s party list for last month's Parliamentary Elections.
Viktor Dolidze nominated as Minister of Euro-Atlantic Integration
Viktor Dolidze. Photo from marshalpress.ge.
Viktor Dolidze is an experience politician with a background in international affairs. In the past he has been Georgia’s representative to NATO, the OSCE and other international organisations, as well as Georgia's Ambassador to Austria and Hungary.
Before October 12, 2016 he was one of the leaders and a member of opposition Free Democrats party. He and several other top figures from the party quit the Free Democrats after the party failed to gain enough votes to overcome the five percent threshold to enter Parliament in last month's Parliamentary Elections.
Dolidze is a qualified lawyer. His previous activities include being a member of Tbilisi City Council (2010-2012), a Resident Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005 - 2009), Director of the Department of Staff of the National Security Council (2004 - 2005), Adviser, Board chairman and Second Secretary, Attaché of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1996 - 2004).
Zurab Alavidze nominated as Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure
Zurab Alavidze. Photo from marshalpress.ge.
Zurab Alavidze served as Georgia's Deputy Economy Minister in 2009.
He also has work experience in the private sector and during his career he has held leading positions in the banking and financial sector. Kvirikashvili said Alavidze had the experience of managing major infrastructural projects and he was qualified for the job.
Alavidze has a Master's degree in business administration and Doctor's degree in economics.
Ready for Parliament vote
There are three new names in the new Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia, and one official has switched from one ministry to another. A short time ago Georgia’s Acting Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili presented the proposed new Cabinet.
Acting Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili will hold a briefing today to name his nominees for the country's new Cabinet of Ministers. Kvirikashvili will make his statement at 2pm this afternoon.
The President of Georgia has named Acting Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili for the role again in the new Government of Georgia.
Acting Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili told local media today he would hold a briefing on Monday to name the country's new Cabinet of Ministers.
Georgia’s Parliament will vote and decide whether or not to support the country’s new Cabinet on Saturday, November 26.
Georgia's future Cabinet have today introduced their agenda for the next four years, with the main goal to improve the welfare of the country.
Georgia’s Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration has held meetings with US Department of State officials ahead of the Eastern Partnership meeting and NATO summit.
Minister of Internal Affairs of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia has announced the opening of the new Human Rights Department in his administration in order to timely and effectively address human rights issues.
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has presented a plan on how to upgrade standards in the country’s temporary detention facilities.
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.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has appointed Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development Maia Tskitishvili as vice prime ministers today.
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.
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.