Georgian president puts off introduction of renewed Cabinet to Parliament

Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili has exercised his constitutional and has put off for seven days the introduction of the renewed cabinet to the parliament.

“I am going to use this only constitutional chance and to put off the approval of the cabinet for one week,” the Georgian president said.

This, according to him, will give the prime minister and the parliament time for more constructive consultations.

“The prime minister has submitted a renewed list of ministers for me to send it to the parliament, but now that we have seen several ministers changing one another within just three days, a minister first saying that he will not resign and then resigning and, finally, three ministers resigning instead of two, we are faced with a dilemma,” Margvelashvili said.

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament David Usupashvili said that Margvelashvili had a constitutional right to do what he did. “It was not an extraordinary decision. He was elected, that’s why he did it. It was his decision and we must respect it,” Usupashvili said.

As EADaily reported earlier, a few hours before Margvelashvili’s decision, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili named the new ministers of the renewed Cabinet. Chairwoman of the parliamentary Committee on European Integration, the wife of the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Tinatin Khidasheli has been nominated as new Defense Minister, MP Gigla Agulashvili as new environment protection minister, businessman Tariel Khechikashvili as new sports and youth minister.

Garibashvili has sent the renewed list of ministers to the President for him to submit it for the parliament’s approval.

The premier has also urged the president and the parliament to express vote of confidence in the new cabinet. It was his response to the resignation of three ministers.

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.