Garibashvili Named as Next PM
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2 Nov.’13 / 15:40
PM Bidzina Ivanishvili (left) and Interior Minister Irakli
Garibashvili (right) at a celebration of Police Day on May 19, 2013.
Interior Ministry photo
31-year-old Interior Minister, Irakli Garibashvili, has been named as
next Prime Minister of Georgia to replace Bidzina Ivanishvili, who
will step down this month.
Ivanishvili announced about the nomination of Garibashvili, who is his
long-time close associate, after a meeting with GD coalition
leadership and GD parliamentary majority members on November 2.
Before becoming the youngest cabinet member in PM Ivanishvili’s
government in October, 2012, Garibashvili spent his entire eight-year
working career (not counting one-year internship at the parliamentary
committee for foreign affairs) with entities affiliated with
Ivanishvili and his family.
He was head of the billionaire’s charitable foundation Cartu before
entering politics together with Ivanishvili in October, 2011.
Garibashvili studied international relations and law at the Tbilisi
State University, before graduating University of Paris-I,
Panthéon-Sorbonne.
It is not yet decided who will replace Garibashvili on the post of the
interior minister, Ivanishvili and Garibashvili said.
The sitting cabinet, according to the new constitution, has to resign
after the inauguration of president-elect Giorgi Margvelashvili on
November 17; the new PM and the cabinet has to be formally named by GD
parliamentary majority and nominated by the new president and then
approved by the Parliament.
New PM will have much more powers at the expense of cutting those of
the president, according to the new constitution, which will go into
force after the inauguration of president-elect Margvelashvili.
Praising Garibashvili as a `very practical’, `very honest’ person and
`good manager’, Ivanishvili said that prime ministerial nominee was
accepted by GD coalition leadership and then by the GD parliamentary
majority members `unanimously’ and `with ovations’. He said that
anyone within the team had an opportunity to voice `dissent opinion’,
but there was not any.
`I am very glad that the right choice has been made,’ Ivanishvili said
and hailed Garibashvili for, as he put it, `transforming police, which
had its trust within public completely lost’ into the `European-type
of police’.
`This man,’ Ivanishvili said pointing at Garibashvili, `managed to do
a miracle in one year… He proved that he deserves to be the Prime
Minister.’
Ivanishvili also said: `The Georgian society can be proud of the
government I am leaving behind.’
Garibashvili, who was standing next to Ivanishvili, said: `I promise
everyone – to the population, you [referring to Ivanishvili], to the
government and the [GD] coalition, that I will spare no efforts to
successfully continue what you [referring to Ivanishvili] have started
and to continue your policy.’