Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia resigns

EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell fears that the possible arrest of opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia will further deepen the Georgian political crisis and create additional barriers between the ruling party and the opposition to achieve an election agreement.

The Georgian Parliament has suspended opposition MP and the new chair of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia earlier today per the request of the Prosecutor’s Office. 

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has asked parliament to suspend MP status for the new chair of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia to then request his arrest from the court. 

The Prosecutor’s Office says that they will appeal the verdict of Tbilisi City Court against former opposition MP Nika Melia in the high-profile Cartu Bank case. 

The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that they have postponed the detention of opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement Nika Melia following the recent resignation of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. 

Opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia, who was named the reason for PM Giorgi Gakharia recent resignation, has stated that the opposition ‘welcomes’ the PM’s decision, but it is not sufficient. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party has confirmed a disagreement with recently resigned PM Giorgi Gakharia over the arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia. 

US Senator Jim Risch, Former US Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly and former MEP Rebecca Harms have responded to yesterday's decision of Tbilisi City Court which ruled to detain United National Movement chair Nika Melia. 

Lithuanian Ambassador to Georgia Andrius Kalindra has met with officials from opposition parties at the office of the United National Movement (UNM) office earlier today. Before entering the office he said that ‘we are working with all political parties to achieve success towards Euro-Atlantic integration’.

The ruling Georgian Dream party MP Nikoloz Samkharadze stated earlier today that ‘as far as I know PM Giorgi Gakharia not only resigned but also left the Georgian Dream.’ 

The Georgian Dream ruling party has nominated Defense Minister Irakli Garibashvili, 39, for the premiership earlier today, following the resignation of Giorgi Gakharia. This is the second time the Georgian Dream has nominated Garibashvili for the premiership. Initially he served as PM between November 2013 and December 2015. He was the second PM under the Georgian Dream leadership, replacing the founder of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili in the role. 

The European Union urges the Georgian authorities and opposition ‘to act with utmost restraint and responsibility to avoid further escalation’ following a court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for United National Movement chair Nika Melia and the ‘subsequent resignation’ of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who resigned earlier today amid a disagreement with the ruling Georgian Dream party over the detention of opposition leader Nika Melia’s detention, said ‘confrontation and rivalry’ in Georgia endanger its future democratic and economic development.

The US Department of State has responded to current political turmoil in Georgia in regards to the possible arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia and the recent resignation of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and called on political parties in the country ‘to show restraint and avoid escalatory actions or rhetoric.’ The US Embassy in Georgia has stated that they appreciate the restraint shown by the authorities and the opposition in responding to the events surrounding the Melia case.  

Responding to the resignation of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, the Lelo for Georgia opposition party said ‘this is the right step, which creates an opportunity to defuse the existing political crisis’. Party leader Badri Japaridze has called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to immediately start negotiations involving international partners in order to reach a political agreement between the opposition and the ruling party.

The candidate for the Georgian premiership Irakli Garibashvili has named his cabinet members earlier today which includes two new faces - candidates for the minister of infrastructure and defence. Maia Tskitishvili, who has served the country’s regional development and infrastructure minister since 2018 has resigned and her deputy, Irakli Karseladze, has been nominated as her replacement. 

US Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen are ‘deeply concerned’ by recent political developments in Georgia. Hoping ‘this political crisis will come to an end quickly and peacefully’, they said that ‘all sides of the political spectrum must now return to the negotiating table and de-escalate the political atmosphere’. 

A photo that former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia posted last evening on Facebook has immediately grabbed public attention. As of now the photo has over 180,000 emotions, 30,000 comments and 7,500 shares.

The Georgian Chief Prosecutor’s Office has stated earlier today that if the head of the United National Movement (UNM) opposition party Nika Melia posts bail, they will request his release from Tbilisi City Court. 

Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated that he has ‘no plans to leave the country or politics.’ He told journalists earlier today that he will announce his intentions in the coming days. Gakharia resigned on February 18, 2021, saying that the step was connected with the upcoming arrest of the opposition MP and the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia. 

Former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia has posted a photo taken at the grave of the country’s first President Zviad Gamsakhurdia earlier today and stated that ‘we must end polarisation and work towards the building of a successful state.’ 

Georgian Finance Minister and deputy Prime Minister Ivane Matchavariani has announced on social media his resignation. "I have to say that after almost three years of working as the Minister of Finance, I was planning to resign at the end of last year, but due to the 2021 crisis budget approval procedure and important negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, I decided to wait for several months".

Six MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream have left the party earlier today to join the future political party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. 

Gori Municipality Mayor Konstantine Tavzarashvili has dismissed his two deputies for endorsing ex-Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s party.

Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has announced the formation of the For Georgia political union. Gakharia, who has the party presentation later today, made the announcement on his Facebook page on May 28.

Former Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who now chairs the For Georgia political union, said at the party’s launch presentation earlier today that ‘we unite for Georgia,  but not against anybody’. Stating that his team will be actively involved in political processes, Gakharia said Georgia now needs a political party which can ‘look the truth in the eyes’ and speak up about the challenges the country is facing nowadays, instead of living in illusions. 

The ruling Georgian Dream party has accused former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and the opposition United National Movement party of planning an alleged coup back in February. The ruling party chair Irakli Kobakhidze told Rustavi 2 media outlet on Friday that then-PM Gakharia had been requesting to postpone the detention of UNM chair Nika Melia for a couple of days after the court ruling for ‘groundless reasons’. 

The founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili, who left Georgian politics for the second time back in January 2021, has responded to media reports that the new political party founded by ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia is affiliated with him. Ivanishvili stated that the reports are ‘fake’ and are ‘attempts’ to again connect his name with political issues. 

Ex-PM Giorgi Gakharia, who resigned and left the ruling party back in February and recently created a new political party For Georgia, has responded to criticism and allegations of treason by the ruling Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. 

The For Georgia political party, which was recently founded by former PM Giorgi Gakharia, has officially addressed the country’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the allegations of the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze of an alleged coup attempt.

Georgia’s former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who resigned earlier this year and founded a new political party For Georgia back in May 2021, has held meetings in the US to raise awareness of his party and discuss various issues with American officials and experts. 

Georgian broadcasting channel Rustavi 2 reported on Wednesday an alleged meeting of the country’s ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili and the former PM Giorgi Gakharia, now the leader of the opposition party For Georgia, at the Mayflower Hotel in the United States’ capital. Members of both parties strongly denied rumours about the meeting, calling it fake news created by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Former Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia, who currently chairs the For Georgia political party, has dismissed the reports of Rustavi 2 that he has met with Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili in Washington D.C. 

Seven employees of Khashuri City Council have left the ruling Georgian Dream today  to join the political party of former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.

Former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia’s recently launched political party For Georgia has received  296,266 GEL (about $95,326/€81,385) in donations within the last several months while the ruling Georgian Dream party’s Head Irakli Kobakhidze accused Gakharia that its party is financed from Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Former Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia, who now leads the For Georgia opposition party, has announced today his plans of running for Tbilisi mayor. Gakharia said that three months after the establishment of the For Georgia party it has been the one and the only political party with an increasing rating in Georgia.

The head of the ruling Georgian Dream party (GD) Irakli Kobakhidze says that former PM Giorgi Gakharia, who was nominated for Tbilisi mayor yesterday by his For Georgia political party, ‘has made an attempt with the use of a mediator to receive financial support from us for his refusal to run for Tbilisi mayor.’ 

Deputy Chair of opposition For Georgia party Natia Mezvrishvili says the ruling Georgian Dream party persecutes and threatens opposition politicians, especially in regions. “The Georgian Dream continues the political persecution against the supporters and members of For Georgia party by using various methods of threat and pressure”, Mezvrishvili said at a news briefing today.

The For Georgia opposition party, which was founded by the country’s former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia back in may 2021, says that Gakharia’s hair follicle drug test performed by FTC-Forensisch-Toxikologisches Labor in Austria, Vienna, on September 14, is negative. 

Former prime minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia has proposed trilateral talks between his For Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the United National Movement (UNM) opposition to compose city assemblies ‘in a balanced manner.’ 

Member of opposition party For Georgia Eleonora Archaia says that her car was damaged yesterday in Kutaisi, though she has no idea who could be the offender. Archaia, who was a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party in 2020, says that the incident may be related to her political activities.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed the party had been “informed” about plans involving President Salome Zourabichvili, former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and former Public Defender Nino Lomjaria forming a party for balloting in the 2024 Parliamentary Elections in the country.