Eka Beselia: Zardiashvili Was Forced to Leave MP Mandate
“Zardiashvili has not renounced his MP mandate at his own will, he was forced to do so,” the former MP of Ruling Party Georgian Dream and current independent MP Eka Beselia stated while commenting on the decision of a member of the parliamentary majority Vano Zardiashvili to leave his mandate, adding that she believes that the above was initiated by the leader of Georgian Dream Ruling Party Bidzina Ivanishvili.
“I had no doubt that I would win this fight. The issue of his dismissal has been raised several times. He was protected by the “clan”, but the presence of this person in the Parliament inflicted huge damage on the Georgian Dream and the Parliament. Of course, Ivanishvili has put this full stop,” she said.
Zardiashvili has renounced his MP mandate, releasing a statement on Monday, saying that some people had been carrying out "black PR" against him.
“The truth is on my side in this particular case, however, there is my family and my team behind me and I really do not want to be a source of provocation for people or political groups trying to damage the positive processes by throwing mud at me. I decided to leave the Parliament of Georgia and renounce the mandate of the MP. By taking this step, I once again show to the public that a job is just a means to serve your country and each citizen. I would like to thank each member of our team and wish them success in the development of the country,” the statement reads.
His decision came after the recent confrontation with Eka Beselia at the Sitting of the Legal Issues Committee at the Parliament of Georgia. The confrontation between the two occurred when the Majority MP commented on Beselia's moral while the lawmaker Gedevan Popkhadze was interviewing one of the judicial candidates. After the tense conversation between Zardiashvili and Beselia, the latter hit the lawmaker in his face, calling him a “villain” and other offensive epithets.
By Ana Dumbadze
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