Former Justice Minister Adeishvili: United National Movement will Regain Power
Former Georgian Justice Minister, Zurab Adeishvili broke his silence nearly three years after the 2012 elections to claim that the United National Movement, in his opinion, will return to power.
The ex-minister took part in almost all high-scale judicial and political processes in Georgia during a decade of UNM rule in the country, which ended with the peaceful transition of power three years ago. The former head of the structure spoke out summarizing various pressing issues for Georgia including Zurab Zhvania’s death, Bidzina Ivanishvili and UNM’s future prospects.
He says National Movement was aware of Ivanishvili’s aspirations to become engaged in politics even in 2004. “He has always been engaged in politics. He was active in this field in 2004, 2005, 2006... According to widespread information, he did so with the intention to influence certain events. Politics implies affecting ongoing processes, and he did precisely that. However, we were aware of it,” the ex-minister stated.
Adeishvili was asked whether there was any kind of agreement between UNM and Ivanishvili before the changing of power in 2012. “Gaining power is a democratic process and Georgia’s population really deserves to have such things achieved openly rather than through secret agreements between two political forces or two individuals. For us, it was unacceptable to simply grant someone power over the country. After our refusal to hand power over to Bidzina, he chose the method of elections and gained power this way,” he responded (IPN).
He recalled the case of invalidating Ivanishvili’s Georgian citizenship prior to the election of 2012, calling the decision legitimate. “All decisions regarding the case were right, but politics require only political discussions. It is wrong and ineffective to have legal mechanisms interfere with politics. It was not political, but a legal decision,” he emphasized.
In addition, the former chief of the executive body analyzed the controversial death of Zurab Zhvania, the former PM of Georgia who was found dead at his apartment back in 2005. “As for Zurab Zhvania’s case, I declare with full responsibility that the case is exactly what it is described and we should expect the appropriate verdict,” he underscored.
He asserted that all sensitive pieces of information were included in the investigation materials adding that Zhvania’s family members knew about the apartment in which the deceased PM’s body was found.
On a finishing note, Adeishvili summarized the current situation, forecasting UNM’s potential victory in the coming elections: “The National Movement, led by Mikheil Saakashvili, will inevitably regain power. There may not be many old faces in the team, including me. The existing level of political discourse in the country needs to be changed. A different political existence needs to be established, such as coalitional government and consensus-based decision-making. The possibility of the National Movement returning along with other political forces is increasing,”
Adeishvili currently serves as a consultant to Ukrainian government and other nations in need of successful reforms, such as Albania.