Irakli Kobakhidhe is officially the new Prime Minister of Georgia. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili signed a decree appointing Irakli Kobakhidze as the country's new prime minister.
The decision was made after the Georgian parliament expressed confidence in Prime Minister Kobakhidze and his government on Thursday, February 8. In the new Cabinet of Georgia, Irakli Chikovani became the Minister of Defense, and 84 deputies expressed support for the government, against – 10, according to the Georgian service of Radio Liberty.
Who is the new new Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidhe?
Irakli Kobakhidze, a 45-year-old politician, became the party's seventh prime minister “Georgian dream”, which has held power in Georgia since the fall of 2012. Irakli Kobakhidkhe replaced Irakli Garibashvili, who resigned on January 29, becoming chairman of the ruling party.
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The media began discussing personnel changes in the government at the end of last year, when it was announced that Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of “Georgian Dream”. He took the post of honorary chairman of the party, gaining the right to nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister.
Opposition party “United National Movement” (END) Mikheil Saakashvili views these changes as evidence “insurmountable crisis” in the ruling party. UNM Chairman Levan Khabeishvili believes that these are just intrigues of the billionaire, motivated by his personal gain.
New Prime Minister of Georgia with the old one “Dream”
Bidzina Ivanishvili announced his intention to take action against corruption in the near future. Irakli Garibashvili, who twice headed the Georgian government, was criticized by the opposition led by Saakashvili for his policies, which they considered too favorable to Russia.
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Government “Georgian Dream”, while condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, still pursues the most loyal policy in relations with Russia in recent times, and has refused to introduce national sanctions against Moscow. The new Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidhe, will likely continue this trend.
Ivanishvili’s fight against corruption and Russian influence
Bidzina Ivanishvili himself is known for his zealous defense of the interests of the Russian Federation in Georgia and has financial ties with Russia, which can probably be considered a form of “official loyalty fee”. Ivanishvili is the largest individual shareholder of the Russian company Gosprom, owning 1% of the shares of the state-owned enterprise, indicating his significant economic influence in the country. Similar schemes are also observed among former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who receives significant remuneration from commercial structures in Russia.
