Parliament Committee Chair: decisions to engage in, withdraw from politics a personal matter
Sarjveladze stressed that no one could be “obliged” to make a decision to engage in politics. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights, on Thursday said decisions by individuals to engage in or withdraw from politics were a personal matter, in response to a joint letter of the Citizens and Girchi opposition parties calling on the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to withdraw from politics and urging the former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to take political office again in a bid to ease domestic political polarisation “hampering” Georgia’s European Union membership process.
Sarjveladze stressed that no one could be “obliged” to make a decision to engage in politics.
When talking about someone engaging in or withdrawing from politics, we should take into account that every person makes their own decision to participate or not in politics. Therefore, we cannot oblige anyone to make a decision to engage in politics. We will have some questions about these calls of the opposition MPs”, the Parliament official said.
In comments, the opposition MPs stated that Saakashvili’s retirement from the country’s political life would also allow the United National Movement opposition party, founded by Saakshvili, to transform itself into a “healthier” political force.
In remarks over Ivanishvili, who left Georgian politics for the second time last year, the parties suggested that the political responsibility should be taken by “those who make decisions or have all the resources to make decisions”.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said claims about a return to politics of Bidzina Ivanishvili were “mere speculation”.
In a letter addressed to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on July 18, Garibashvili said allegations on the Georgian Government being run by Bidzina Ivanishvili were “offensive to me personally and to my country”.
Two Parliamentary opposition groups, the Citizens and Girchi parties, on Thursday released a joint letter calling on the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili to withdraw from politics and urging the former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to take political office again in a bid to ease domestic political polarisation “hampering” Georgia’s European Union membership process.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said claims about a return to politics of the former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili were “mere speculation”.
"I have made the decision to finally retire from politics and fully distance myself from the reins of power. I am leaving the post of party chairman, as well as the party itself and am returning to my pre-2011, private lifestyle. I will turn 65 years old in just a few weeks, and this is one of the important factors in making the decision to retire from politics,” Ivanishvili said, adding that the step ‘which is dictated by the desire to advance young people to the forefront...will not only not weaken, but will, in fact, further strengthen the ruling party.’
Medical professionals and not politicians or lawyers should discuss the matter of health of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili, ruling Georgian Dream party MP and former Health Minister David Sergeenko said on Friday in comments on recent statements by Saakashvili’s lawyers about the former President's plans to withdraw from politics due to poor health.
Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Thursday confirmed she had met Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party and the former Prime Minister of Georgia, on March 21, shortly after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but rejected allegations on the discussion concerning Georgia joining the conflict or exerting pressure on Ivanishvili to push Government authorities to confront Russia.