Ruling Team Names New Face in Cabinet for Prime Minister
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, June 15
The Georgian Dream ruling party named the acting Finance Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze for the prime minister’s post after the resignation of Giorgi Kvirikashvili on Wednesday.
In his speech, Bakhtadze who fought against Georgian banks shortly coming to power in 2017, vowed better future to the Georgian people and the consolidation of the government.
He said that the work carried out by the government would be quality and beneficial for each Georgian citizen.
Between 2005 and 2006 Bakhtadze served as a project manager of the Georgian Railway.
In 2010-2012 he was a director general of Georgia’s International Energy Corporation.
In 2013- 2017, before taking the finance minister’s post, he served as the director general of the Georgian railway.
Bakhtadze holds a PHD degree in technical sciences, also a master’s degree in business administration from the INSEAD Business School in France.
The United National Movement opposition criticized Bakhtadze in 2017, when he became the finance minister and said that he “collapsed the activities of the railway.”
Now the opposition says that Bakhtadze’s name is associated with “failure” and he will be the final stage of the end for Bidzina Ivanishvili’s government.
For the 2012 parliamentary elections, when the Georgian Dream coalition headed by billionaire Ivanishvili defeated the nine-year-rule of the United National Movement, Bakhtadze donated 20,000 GEL to the United National Movement.
There are speculations that the Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani will have to quit her post and that she will be replaced by the majority lawmaker, former head of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association Tamar Chugoshvili or by the head of the government administration Shalva Tadumadze.
The Georgian media says that the Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze will leave his post and his deputy David Zalkaliani will replace him.
Kvirikashvili said he quit the post due to controversies with Ivanishvili.
When the prime minister resigns, the power of Cabinet Ministers – 14 ministers of Georgia – is automatically suspended.
Within seven days of the prime minister’s resignation, the president of Georgia must name a new candidate for Prime Minister, which is selected by the Parliamentary Majority.
Within seven days of the prime minister’s resignation, the president of Georgia must name a new candidate for Prime Minister, which is selected by the Parliamentary Majority.
The Georgian Dream (GD) coalition is the parliamentary majority. Therefore, it named the new candidate.
After this the new candidate for prime minister should name his/her chosen Cabinet of Ministers within seven days. The candidate for prime minister can maintain the previous Cabinet or change some ministers and present them before Parliament of Georgia for confirmation.
The candidate for prime minister and the updated Cabinet of Ministers needs to be confirmed by the majority of Parliament Members, meaning they must gain at least 76 votes out of the 150-seat Parliament.
The GD coalition holds 116 seats in the legislative body.
If parliament of Georgia failed to approve the candidate for prime minister or the updated Cabinet of Ministers three times, the country’s President has the right to dissolve Parliament and appoint snap parliamentary Elections.
