Georgian parliament faces new bedlam
There is a government crisis in Georgia. Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze resigns. Along with him, according to the law, all members of the government leave their places. The candidacy of Bakhtadze's successor is due to be announced at a meeting of the political council of the ruling Georgian Dream party on September 3.
According to the law, parliament is required to finally approve the candidacy of a new prime minister within two weeks.
Experts consider Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia to be the favorite for the post of prime minister, who quite abruptly dispersed the June rallies that turned into pogroms, despite violent protests from the opposition.
Another likely contender for prime minister is the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Maya Tskitishvili, although the gender factor may play against her appointment: many may consider that a female prime minister under a female president (Salome Zurabishvili) is too much.
In Georgia they are trying to pretend that the government crisis and the resignation of Prime Minister Bakhtadze along with the cabinet of ministers are in no way connected with the June events in Tbilisi, which caused relations with Russia to freeze to almost zero. They say it’s all about the upcoming 2020 elections, “Georgia is looking forward” and all that stuff...
Riots in Tbilisi on June 20, 2019
Nevertheless, the connection between the change of executive power in Georgia, even within the framework of the ruling party, and the anti-government protests that took place two months ago is obvious.
The protesters put forward four immutable demands: the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze, who “gave up the seat without a fight” to the head of the Russian delegation Sergei Gavrilov, the resignation of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Giorgi Gakharia, the release of all detained activists, and the transition to a proportional electoral system. There was no talk of Prime Minister Bakhtadze's resignation.
Candidate for prime minister, head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia.
Bakhtadze decided to resign on August 2, saying that he had "fulfilled his mission." Judging by recent statements, Bakhtadze (a graduate of Lomonosov Moscow State University) saw his mission in Georgia’s broad participation in NATO partnership programs. For NATO, in his words, “will always remain the guarantor of global security, peace and stability,” especially for his country. The former prime minister also emphasized the importance of Georgia’s participation in the anniversary NATO forum in Washington.
Bakhtadze commented on the June incident with the Russian delegation as follows: the protests were said to be “fair” in nature, “but what is happening now is violence.”
Thus, the party in power made partial concessions to Russophobic extremists. Kobakhidze left the “defiled” chair of the speaker along with his post, the reform of Georgia’s electoral system was moved from 2024 to 2020, and they also threw a bone to the Maidan baboons by dismissing the prime minister loyal to the pogromists, so that a security minister would soon be appointed in his place.
Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze resigned “of his own free will”.
The fact that Bakhtadze left the post of prime minister “of his own free will” should not mislead anyone. The Georgian Dream party and the government in Georgia are controlled by the oligarch-puppeteer Bidzina Ivanishvili.
As observers note, since 2011, Ivanishvili has succeeded politically in many ways: he put together the Georgian Dream party, thanks to which he managed to crush and push Saakashvili out of the country; defeat the United National Movement party in the 2012 parliamentary elections and personally head the government; more or less normalize relations with Russia.
Ivanishvili VS Saakashvili.
There was only one thing Ivanishvili failed to achieve: finding a tenacious and intelligent prime minister after his announced retirement from politics. Since 2015, Bakhtadze is the third Georgian prime minister to resign. And not just, but the closest friend of Ivanishvili’s son, Uta.
Probably, Pope Ivanishvili, as the head of the Georgian Dream party, is going to rely on the security minister Giorgi Gakharia, who copes well with crisis situations that arose, among other things, through the fault of the ruling party.
It is also characteristic that Bakhtadze’s resignation occurred quietly, even privately, although previous retired prime ministers were criticized by Ivanishvili. Apparently, the puppet master considers Gakharia a suitable crisis manager who can carry the country to the beginning of responsible reforms of the electoral system in 2020.
Ivanishvili himself claims that the idea of amendments to the electoral law is an initiative of the ruling party, although this is a clear concession under pressure from the parliamentary and street opposition.
Currently, Georgia has a mixed electoral system. The parliament consists of 150 deputies, 77 of whom are elected from party lists, and 73 from majoritarian constituencies.
In 2024, it was planned to begin electing parliamentary deputies only according to the proportional principle (party lists), abolishing majoritarians. The barrier should have been 5%.
As a result of opposition pressure, the deadline for reform has been shifted to 2020, majoritarianism, again, is abolished, but the barrier is also abolished. Now any party in Georgia can enter parliament if the voter, of course, votes for its list of deputies.
It is characteristic that there is no talk of any normalization of relations with Russia, apologies or the appointment of “pro-Russian” politicians. The chosen direction “to the West, to the EU and NATO” remains unchanged, despite the accompanying pain and losses. At the same time, there is not a single chance for even a skull of a country that once set out on a senseless campaign to reach the finish line.
Considering that in the political system of “independent” Georgia for the last 30 years, every gopher is an agronomist, and every harsh genatsvale from the barricades is a horseman Data Tutashkhia, one can only imagine what kind of bedlam will reign in the future parliament of Sakartvelo.
However, it is quite likely that oligarch Ivanishvili and his weakening creation “Georgian Dream” will only benefit from this fragmentation of the political clearing - the principles of “divide and conquer” together with “money conquers evil” have not yet been canceled.
English version :: Read in English: The Georgian Parliament is facing new chaos.