Georgia: change at the head of government in what is seen as a pro-Russian turn
Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili leaves office and is replaced by Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party. This reshuffle comes a month after the oligarch who reigns over the country, Bidzina Ivanishvili, announced his return to the head of this party. All against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and what appears to many as a pro-Russian shift imposed by the government on a population of which, 85%, dreams of Europe.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announces his resignation during a briefing in Tbilisi on January 29, 2024. Georgian Prime Minister Garibashvili resigned on January 29, 2024 stating that he would become president of the ruling party before the October parliamentary elections . AFP - HANDOUT
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With our correspondent in Tbilisi,
Régis Genté
This seems like big maneuvers in times of trouble. This Monday, January 29, Prime Minister Irakli Garibachvili, one of the men most loyal to the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, resigned to make way for another close friend of the billionaire, Irakli Kobakhidzé.
The latter, 45, is the head of the ruling party, the “Georgian Dream”. His nomination is not due to his popularity, which is quite low in the country in fact. He also appears to be a figure little appreciated by Georgia's Western partners, having been the man of verbal provocations against Europeans and Americans for two years.
Provocations perceived in the country as a sign of a pro-Russian turn by the government.
This Monday's reshuffle follows on from the announcement of the return of Mr. Ivanishvili at the head of his party.
Observers question the reasons for this surprise return. Some see his desire to take back the reins of the “Georgian Dream” while 2024 will be an election year, with parliamentarians in the fall, followed by the election of the president by the new National Assembly.
Read alsoThe Georgian power multiplies the signs of a pro-Russian orientation
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