PM resigns, long live the new PM

Outgoing Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili nominated the Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) Irakli Gharibahsvili, 31, as the future PM. Ivanishvili will step down in a couple of days after the president-elect Giorgi Margvelashvili is inaugurated as Georgia’s new president.

Thus, Ivanishvili is fulfilling the first stage of his promise: establish a new party, win the parliamentary elections, become the Prime Minister, achieve his stated goals, and resign from active politics. He has accomplished most what he set out to do.

Ivanishvili revealed his final decision on November 2nd after the Georgian Dream coalition and the parliamentary majority met for consultations. For some time Ivanishvili kept the name of his substitute close to the vest. Until the very last days, it came down to two possible candidates. These were Minister Gharibahsvili and the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs, Davit Sergeenko. However, on November 2nd, Gharibashvili was nominated as the future PM.

According to the amendments to the state constitution adopted two years ago by the United National Movement (UNM), as soon as Margvelashvili officially becomes the Georgian president on November 17th, the rights and powers of the Prime Minister will increase. He will have great responsibility and will be the leader of the country.

After the inauguration, the current government will resign and the new president will submit the name of the future PM to the Parliament. Meanwhile, the PM will have to select a new cabinet of ministers and submit the names of the future ministers to the legislative body. Eventually, parliament has to confirm the new PM and the cabinet with 50% + 1 vote of the MPs.

Ivanishvili said that if any changes are made in the government, there will be one new face for sure: this is the new Minister of Internal Affairs.

According to the new constitution, it will be most difficult to remove the Prime Minister from his position. It would require an extremely long and complicated procedure, which is practically unachievable. Moreover, the attempt of the parliament to discharge the Prime Minister can end up with the dissolution of the legislative body itself.

Bidzina Ivanishvili keeps repeating that Georgia will be proud of its successful government.

“I am leaving you such a government and I am moving to the civil sector,” promised Ivanishvili.

Gharibahsvili was the youngest member of Ivanishvili’s cabinet of ministers. After graduating from Tbilisi State University (TSU), and later from Sorbonne University in France, he worked with Ivanishvili for the last 8 years. Eventually he was the head of Ivanishvili’s charity foundation Cartu. All members of the Georgian Dream coalition enthusiastically supported Gharibashvili’s candidacy as the future PM.

The UNM meanwhile, criticized this choice, highlighting the fact that Gharibashvili worked at Ivanishvili’s system and he proved to be loyal to his boss. It was also mentioned that Gharibashvili has poor political experience.

After being nominated, Gharibashvili promised to the nation, colleagues and government, that he will do everything possible to carry on the successful steps of the current administration. Simultaneously, Prime Minister Gharibashvili will become the leader of the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia and the coalition. So far, the main strength of Gharibashvili is that he is supported by Ivanishvili. Thus, he has to prove that the choice was right and the country can become more successful with him.