Georgian opposition urges Bidzina Ivanishvili to come out of shadow

According to Voice of America, the government crisis in Georgia has forced the Irakly Garibashvili Cabinet to seek a vote of confidence in the parliament.

The Cabinet was forced to resign on Apr 29, following the resignation of its seventh minister. According to Georgia’s Constitution, a cabinet should resign if 1/3 of its 19 ministers have resigned and should ask for a vote of confidence from the parliament.

Three ministers (responsible for sports, environment protection and regional development) have resigned during the last week, following the interior minister and three representatives of the Free Democrats, a formerly pro-governmental force that has now gone into opposition.

At a special briefing on Apr 29 Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili said that this was a healthy transparent process aimed to foster the ongoing reforms. He said that the new Cabinet would consist of the same ministers, with the two vacancies to be given to new candidates. Garibashvili asked the parliament and the president to finalize this process by the end of this week. The Premier is sure that the new cabinet will have time for obtaining necessary votes in the parliament. According to the law, it needs 75 out of existing 150 votes. The opposition has just 58 votes. So, we can expect the new cabinet to be approved. If not, the president has the right to dissolve the parliament and to appoint new parliamentary elections.

They in the formerly ruling United National Movement party believe that the parliament must not approve the new “puppet” cabinet of Bidzina Ivanishvili and urge the latter to come out of shadow, to form his own cabinet and to try to restore the economy and to lead the country to new elections.

The Free Democrats are of the same opinion. Their leader Irakli Alasania is ready to support a cabinet led by Ivanishvili. “This will put an end to informal anti-democratic rule in the country,” he said.

Former speaker of the Georgian parliament, the leader of the United Democratic Movement Nino Burjanadze, whom Saakashvili’s party regards as a pro-Russian politician, has stressed the need to organize mid-term elections as a way to avoid political and economic crisis.

The next parliamentary elections in Georgia are scheduled for the autumn 2016.