Georgian Dream, the governing party of Georgia, announced last week it nominated a close associate to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who founded the party, as the country’s next prime minister, according to a report.
The Financial Times reported last week that the nomination of Irakli Garibashvili, the defense minister who served as prime minister from 2013-15, will likely do little to calm growing tension in the country after its contested October parliamentary election and subsequent arrest of opposition leader Nika Melia of the United National Movement.
Melia is accused of organizing “mass violence” during protests after the election. He was placed in custody in a move his party called a political witch hunt, and he faces up to nine years in prison if convicted. He called Gharibashvili a “puppet.”
“Are you kidding? This means that new elections will be held in the country very soon,” he said, according to the FT. Ivanishvili’s critics claim he is the true power in the country of 3.7 million and runs the government from behind the scenes.
In October, Georgia Dream received 48.23 percent of the vote and the United National Movement (UNM) received 27.18 percent.
Giorgi Gakharia, the country’s prime minister, announced he is stepping down after disagreements within his team over Melia’s arrest. He reportedly warned that Melia’s arrest could lead to more turmoil in the country.
“Unfortunately, I was unable to reach a consensus with my team on this issue, so I have decided to resign,” Gakharia said, according to DW.com. He said he intends to reduce political polarization in the country.
Garibashvili’s nomination needs to be confirmed by parliament, according to Radio Free Europe.
TREND FORECAST: We note this dispute since there has been external and internal conflict in Georgia following the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. in the early 1990s when Georgia and Russia became independent nations.
Back in 2008, tensions between the two nations escalated after war erupted within Georgia, when two provinces, South Ossetia in eastern Georgia and Abkhazia declared their independence.
Russia recognized both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states after the war. Breaking further from Russia, Georgia signed an association agreement with the EU in 2014.
Internally, there have been charges of voter fraud and ongoing political unrest for decades. Most recently, Nika Melia, the chairman of the United National Movement (ENM), the country’s main opposition party was, by order, to be sent to jail by a Tbilisi court.
As reported last week by Radio Free Europe, the EU’s envoy to Georgia, Carl Hartzell, warned Melia’s prosecution is a “dangerous trajectory for Georgia and for Georgian democracy.”
The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement, “The current dangerous situation following the Melia ruling stems from decades-long problems with the electoral system and the judicial system.”
The U.S. said, “The way to address the important issues at stake is through peaceful negotiation. We urge all involved to remain calm and avoid violence.”
The nation was locked down from the end of November of last year to the end of January this year. Curfews were set from 10 PM until 5 AM, and movement of pedestrians and vehicles was restricted.
We note this since it has taken a sharp toll on the nation’s economy. Thus, as the economy goes down, political tensions will increase as will civil unrest.
