Georgian Dream nominates former PM Irakli Garibashvili for premiership
Irakli Garibashvili served as the Georgian PM between 2013 and 2015. Photo: Defence Ministry press office.
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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.
In his resignation address in 2015 Garibashvili said that ‘posts are temporary. The only thing permanent is God and the homeland. So I have decided today to leave my post.’
Garibashvili returned to Georgian politics in March 2019 as the political secretary of the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party.
In September 2019 he was appointed the country’s defence minister and continued in the role after the 2020 parliamentary elections.
PM Giorgi Gakharia resigned earlier today. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
The head of the Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze has stated that Garibashvili is ‘a politician with distinguished experience, a high-class professional who carried out major reforms under his premiership.’
Georgia signed the Association Agreement with the European Union under Garibashvili’s premiership.
Before 2013 Garibashvili served as Georgia's interior minister.
During his early career he was involved in the business and financial sector. He majored in International Relations at Tbilisi State University before studying Political Sciences at Sorbonne University in France.
The PM’s resignation means that his cabinet is also suspended and the parliament will have to approve a new PM and cabinet in two weeks.
If parliament fails to approve the new government, the president will dismiss the parliament and snap parliamentary elections will be scheduled.
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.’
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’.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has announced his resignation earlier today, saying that the step is connected with the upcoming arrest of the opposition MP, the head of the United National Movement opposition party Nika Melia. Gakharia has stated that Melia violated the law and has been engaged in sparking tension in the country.
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.
Ruling Georgian Dream party member Mamuka Mdinaradze says that any discussion on holding repeat parliamentary elections is ‘speculative', responding to the opposition’s demand that snap elections be held in the country. Preparing to form a new cabinet of ministers in the coming days, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said the Georgian Dream 'is in full control of its move forward'.
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.
Georgian PM nominee Irakli Garibashvili says that the resumption of order in the country, coronavirus vaccination and drafting a 10-year ‘ambitious plan’ for state development will be the major priorities of the new government in the first 100 days. Garibashvili also said that the ‘return of the destructive forces to the constitutional frames’ will be on the top of the agenda.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who was confirmed in the post by parliament on Monday, has appointed his deputy prime ministers earlier today.