President's “underwhelming” Parliament report “confirms” pre-election resignation plans - PM candidate

Irakli Kobakhidze, the candidate for the Georgian Prime Minister’s post, on Tuesday labelled President Salome Zourabichvili’s annual report to the Parliament as “underwhelming”, and claimed her address had “confirmed suspicions” about her intention to resign and establish a “pseudo-centrist political faction” ahead of October’s general elections. 

In her address, Zourabichvili had cautioned against “perpetuating divisiveness, hatred, and destructive electoral practices” in the country, and suggested formation of a collaborative platform “of unity for Europe” to “outline common priorities and facilitate domestic dialogue”. 

In his reaction, Kobakhidze claimed the address had “lacked substance”, with Zourabichvili’s “explicit confirmation” of her alleged political intentions the “only noteworthy aspect” of the report. 

Her intention to resign in September and participate in the elections was the only revelation of significance from her speech. The rest was standard rhetoric typical of radical opposition figures", he said. 

The PM candidate also slammed the President for describing Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party and the former PM, who is currently serving as the Honorary Chair of the party, as the “actual ruler” of the country, as well as for claims the public was seeking transparency over the latter’s decisions on “political appointments” and “governance reforms”. 

Kobakhidze stressed the “only person who has questions to answer” was Zourabichvili herself, claiming her “track record of disregarding the country’s constitution and working against our state's interests and its European integration”.