Ruling party “not responding” to President’s critical comments due to “national interests” - Sec-Gen

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said his party was “refusing to respond” to President Salome Zourabichvili’s critical comments on the current Government over the recent years due to its “respect of the Presidential institute” and “national interests”. 

The comment came following the President’s Independence Day messages last week, in which she slammed the Government's stance on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and accused it of hampering the country’s European integration by “demonising” the West. 

The Secretary General’s comments also followed a statement by the Political Council of the ruling party on Monday, which accused the President of “political bias” in favour of the “radical wing” of the domestic opposition, and expressed hopes Zourabichvili would not enter into a “more intense confrontation” with the “majority of the country’s public”. 

The party release also came on the back of criticism between the governing party and the President on a number of issues and policies, including her call for the Government to discuss imposing a visa requirement for Russian citizens earlier this month, and a controversy over official mandates for her meetings with Georgia's foreign partners last year.

Echoing the Political Council statement, Kaladze claimed he was refusing to “enter into polemics” with the President considering “national interests”, saying “every politician should pursue their country’s interests first of all”. 

The party statement also said it would not respond to the critical comments to “preserve the reputation of the Presidential institute” and “help” Zourabichvili “retain minimal legitimacy” before the completion of her term next year, despite the President’s “current stance and her statements over the past two years”.

The party also noted it had supported Zourabichvili’s campaign for President in 2018 expecting an “unbiased attitude” from her, and said it was ready to “help her prevent a further deepening of confrontation” between her office and the public following her latest comments.