Georgian Political Party Girchi Thrown Out of Coalition
TBILISI – Georgian political party Girchi, part of opera-singer-turned-opposition-politician Paata Burchuladze State for the People coalition, has been thrown out the bloc just over a week before the upcoming October 8 parliamentary elections.
Girchi party members issued a statement Wednesday saying the decision was made because of “serious problems regarding management and the relations between individuals, as well as finances.”
Burchuladze later said his decision came when he became aware that former Georgian Prime Minister founder of the current ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili finances the party.
“I do not want to be anyone's puppet. My goal was never about power…I want to help the people of this country,” Burchuladze said.
Girchi member Zurab Japaridze responded to Burchuladze, saying the party made a unilateral decision without consulting the other coalition members.
“Burchuladze was blackmailing me. He was threatening to remove Girchi’s members from the election bloc’s list of MP candidates unless we paid him,” Japaridze said, adding that Burchuladze wanted to pocket the funds personally. 
State for the People member David Jandieri responded to the charges made by Girchi members by accusing the Girchi leadership of spreading false information.
“Burchuladze doesn’t even have a salary. He left his successful opera career, where he made an enormous amount of money so he could serve his country,” Jandieri stated.
Members of the ruling Georgian Dream commented on the recent developments, saying the infighting that has plagued Burchuladze’s coalition has fundamentally discredited the bloc’s reputation in the eyes of the voting public.
“Burchuladze lost his credibility in just two days and had become a chatter-box politician,” GD member Gia Volsky said.
Vice-Parliament Speaker Manana Kobakhidze said Burchuladze’s statement that Ivanishvili financed Girchi “is a complete falsehood”.
“This whole situation is ridiculous, and I think in the end Burchuladze will be left alone in his coalition,” she stated.
The State for the People Movement was formed in August and consisted of four political parties at the time of its founding. In addition to Burchuladze’s State for the People party and Girchi, it also included the New Rights and New Georgia parties. The latter two parties were formed by former members of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement.
The leadership of the New Rights and New Georgia parties announced late Wednesday that they intend to stay in the coalition.
By Thea Morrison
Edited by Nicholas Waller