Baby Boom

Op-Ed

The statistics suggest that the summer season will be characterized with an increase in birth rates and, apparently, politics is following suit. In the very first month of the summer, three newborns were added to Georgian politics. Some of those who left the governmental party gave birth to two parties, while the third is the result of interbreeding between former governmental officials. But it seems that the Georgian political family won’t stop there and in the near future we will witness the birth of a few more political organizations.

The latest political offspring is expected from ex-premier Giorgi Kvirikashvili, who has been significantly active recently and has come out with a number of daring statements. Georgian media predicts that we’ll be seeing the former PM’s party in September, most likely comprised of fired ministers and MPs who have left the Dream. Chief Editor of the newspaper Kronika+, Eliso Kiladze, took to social media to forecast that we will definitely see Giorgi Kobulia, the former Minister of Economy and ex Vice Premier Dimitri Kumsishvili in said team.

Apart from those who left the government, it is predicted that the new party will become home to the newly formed social movement Defend Georgia. Its leaders, the Gachechiladze brothers, are old political friends of Kvirikashvili from as early as the parliament of 1999. But most importantly, the new party could see the founder of JSC TBC Bank, Mamuka Khazaradze, in its ranks. Ex-PM Kvirikashvili’s awaited party is already perceived as that very third power for which the electorate has been waiting for so long.

The value of Kvirikashvili’s future party shot up after Bidzina Ivanishvili agreed to hold the 2020 Parliamentary elections under the proportional system and even more so as no threshold will be applied. The circumstances could see 10-15 % of mandates given to the former Premier. The most important thing in the whole story is that after the bloody night on June 20, Kvirikashvili joined the protestors and publicly demanded not only that there be a change to the system, but even that snap elections be held. This demand wasn’t voiced even by the protesters, so seeing Kvirikashvili’s radicalization adds quite a bit of intrigue to the future political life of the country.

Yet still, the former Premier is choosing to remain silent about his future plans, saying nothing to journalists, and making public statements only via social media. “Only by satisfying the demands of the protestors can the Georgian Dream keep the trust of its citizens towards the political processes and its place as leader to those processes. By doing so, it will be able to preserve Georgia’s place as the leading country in the region on the Western orbit,” he said.

While Kvirikashvili is seen as the new actor on the Georgian political scene, the old ones are also getting ready for new walk of life.

On June 20, while the current and former governments were busy fighting over Russian MP Gavrilov’s appearance on the seat of the Georgian Parliament Speaker, Eka Beselia, who recently quit the Georgian Dream, announced the birth of her own political party, called ‘Justice.’ Former MPs Zviad Kvachantiradze and Gedevan Popkhadze have joined. Some people expected to see MP Levan Gogichaishvili too, who also left the party, but he has not joined Team Beselia, saying instead that he will be joining the party that will be formed in the near future by the like-minded Jaba Jishkariani and Vato Shakarashvili.

Davit Chichinadze, who was fired from the Dream, also announced the creation of his own party, called ‘Tribune.’ Former Security Minister Irakli Okruashvili and ex MP from the Georgian Dream Gubaz Sanikidze have also founded a party, called ‘Victorious Georgia.’ Rumors and those in the circles of the ultra-nationalist Levan Vasadze, suggest that he may also be forming a new political party and coming to politics. However, the details are as yet unknown.

New parties are being created by those who have left the Georgian Dream, which once again implies that the governmental party is disintegrating. This is the start! 2020 is not that far ahead and this will be a decisive battle for forcing the Georgian Dream out of power.

By Zaza Jgarkava

Image source: rarehistoricalphotos.com