Ivanishvili confident Margvelashvili will become new president

Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili revealed in his interview with the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) that he has no doubts about the convincing victory of the ruling party candidate in the presidential elections. According the PM, the coalition’s candidate Giorgi Margvelashvili will become the president, and after October 27th, the cohabitation will end.

Ivanishvili said that there will be no need for a second round in the election and Margvelashvili will do much for his country's progress. The team will be united. Society will be balanced and calm. The process of restoring justice will continue. The prosecutor's office is very busy. The process was slow because of the elections, though a much more qualified investigation will be implemented.

In the interview the MP promised that the process of restoring justice will be over as soon as possible and it will not look like “punishing people.”

Ivanishvili is going to hold preliminary consultations with his team and the name of the candidate will be agreed upon at a session of the party council, then in parliamentary factions. He said “the country will have a good prime minister."

Commenting on the Sochi Olympic Games, the PM said that “if it becomes necessary” Georgia will not participate in the games.

“Let us wait. We have enough time. If it becomes necessary, we will refuse to participate in the Olympics. We will always be able to say no, it is easy," he said, adding that, in the case of a boycott, Georgia will appear to be the only one boycotting the games and will possibly scare the world with its decision. Therefore, Ivanishvili calls on society to be a bit more patient, as the government can always change its decision.

In the interview Ivanishvili also commented on Georgian experts, particularly about the co-founders of the non-governmental organization, Georgia's Reforms Associates (GRASS), Sergi Kapanadze and Elene Khoshtaria. The PM said that he finds the experts’ recommendations to be very ambiguous. Also, Ivanishvili is sure that the experts are actively supporting the former government and they are not neutral.

“I am very surprised and cannot understand what Sergi Kapanadze or Elene Khoshtaria want. It looks like they are acting as a sort of sect…They are intelligent enough to be aware of the reality, but they still remain siding with the former government.

Kapanadze and Khoshtaria replied to the PM in a joint statement. According to the GRASS founders, Ivanishvili had made “yet another series of derogatory remarks” regarding their personalities.

The statement explains that economic related issues are vital for the country and it is natural that experts might have some critical questions regarding similar issues.

“Our questions regarding the economic situation in Georgia derive from the assessments of international financial organizations, influential publishing houses and official statistical data published by the state institutions. It is alarming that these numbers, facts and assessments are not analyzed and responded to adequately by the Prime Minister,” it said in the statement. The experts still hope that the PM will continue interacting with them and with the Georgian NGO sector in general.