Ruling party says it used ‘legal opportunity’ to approve 2022 budget in five municipalities
Sozar Subari from the ruling Georgian Dream party has responded to opposition’s accusations on the early approval of the 2022 budget in several municipalities. Photo: Sozar Subari’s Facebook page.
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The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says that it has used the opportunity ‘ensured by the law and the state constitution’ to approve the 2022 budget in five municipalities, in some of which its party members will no longer control the local city assembly following the recent October municipal elections.
The GD lost its majority in seven out of 64 city assemblies in the October municipal elections which include Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku,Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki.
Members of the 2017 convocation of city assemblies in Batumi, Zugdidi, Senaki, Martvili and Chkhorotskhu approved the 2022 municipal budget before the first session of new city assemblies which is scheduled for December 3.
In four of the five municipalities the GD no longer has the majority in city assemblies.
The opposition has accused the ruling party of taking an ‘illegitimate step’ and ‘disrespect to voters.’
Sozar Subari from the GD, however, says that the ruling party acted in accordance with public interests.
We took the step as the radical opposition, which is always focused on causing unrest, would have tried to reject the budget draft which would hamper the activities of local bodies and delayed a number of infrastructure and other projects crucial for the local population,” Subari said.
He stated that the newly elected members in the city assemblies will be able to control how the budget money is spent.
Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party member Korneli Salia has been elected the chairman of Tsalenjikha Municipal Assembly. By electing Salia, Tsalenjikha has become the only municipality in Georgia where both the mayor (UNM's Giorgi Kharchilava) and the head of assembly are from opposition.
Former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia party member Shota Tsurtsumia has been elected the chairman of Chkhorotsku Municipal Assembly. In winning the spot, Tsurtsumia has become the first opposition member in the country to be elected an assembly head.
The opposition has won the majority in city assemblies in seven out of 64 municipalities – Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki. GD head Irakli Kobakhidze stated that ‘the majority will be formed on the basis of negotiations with the members of the city councils,’ in municipalities where GD lost the majority, noting that ‘work on the issue has already started successfully.’
The city assembly members elected in the 2017 municipal elections approved the 2022 municipal budget in Zugdidi and Batumi earlier today prior to the convening of new city assemblies which were elected in recent, October municipal elections.
City assemblies elected in the October 2021 municipal elections are holding their first sessions across the country today.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has met with the newly elected mayors from municipalities across Georgia and pledged the support of the central government in the undertaking of various projects.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia has concluded its recount of votes in 201 constituencies, as part of recent electoral reforms obliging the body to recount a certain number of votes for verification, and stated that it did not affect the preliminary results of the second round of municipal elections.