Chairman of Adjara’s legislative body warns of political crisis in the region
By Tea Mariamidze
Monday, February 23
Chairman of the Supreme Council of Adjara Avtandil Beridze claims that the legislative body of the autonomous republic faces a political crisis.
Since the Georgian Dream coalition lost its majority in the 21-member body, several former members of the coalition, Medea Vasadze among them, together with the opposition United National Movement (UNM) voted in favor of sacking the vice speaker and chairman of one of the committees, all of which are members of the Georgian Dream party.
Beridze informs that he might be the next to be fired.
“It was a revanchist step planned and implemented by the UNM,” Beridze said.
Earlier this week, eight members of the Supreme Council from the opposition UNM party initiated the procedures for the sacking of the Georgian Dream’s Davit Batsikadze from the post of vice speaker and Alexandre Chitishvili from the post of the Supreme Council’s Committee for Financial and Economic Issues, accusing them of unprofessionalism and abusing their posts.
Batsikadze accused the MPs of voting against him and the Vice-Speaker, former Georgian Dream member Murman Dumbadze, and making a deal with the United National Movement.
“Initially there were talks only on firing Chitishvili. However, when I spoke out that his dismissal would be a deal between the UNM and several MPs of the Adjara Supreme Council, the people decided to sack him as well,” Batsikadze said.
Vasadze and Dumbadze dismissed the accusations.
They also stress that Batsikadze used his position for business interests.
Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili stated that the reaction to the “traitorous” action of two or three members of the Georgian Dream in Adjara’s Supreme Council will be very harsh.
“This is a direct provocation staged by former members of our team – and unfortunately, they made a deal with the UNM members, but nothing special will happen there; the situation is under control. However, we will have a severe reaction to it,” the PM said.
