Georgian Justice Minister slams President’s plans to nominate “technical government” as “unclear”, “unconstitutional”

Rati Bregadze, Georgia's Justice Minister, on Wednesday condemned President Salome Zourabichvili's recent announcement to nominate a technical government ahead of the October 26 general elections, calling it "unclear" and "unconstitutional”. 

In his press comments, the official argued Zourabichvili's intentions “violate the Constitution, given her current non-partisan status”.

The President announced last week her intention to present a technical government before the parliamentary vote, urging four main opposition alliances - Unity to Save Georgia, Coalition for Change, Strong Georgia, and Gakharia for Georgia - to endorse her proposal, which she initially put forward in May as part of the Georgian Charter.

The Charter stipulates that signatory opposition groups must accept the timeline for early elections in the fall of 2025 if they secure parliamentary mandates in the upcoming elections, with a technical, "non-partisan" government proposed by the President.

In his remarks, Bregadze stressed the candidate for Prime Minister should be nominated by a political party that achieved the best result in the election, and highlighted that as a non-partisan figure, the President “does not have the right to participate in party activities or government formation”.

Bregadze also criticised opposition parties for engaging in consultations with Zourabichvili on the matter, suggesting that their involvement signalled they regarded the President as their "informal ruler”.