The Political Council of the ruling coalition Georgian Dream (GD) has elected the Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili to the position of the head of the inter-party entity. He will also head the party of the same name, which was founded by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. After the resignation of the previous prime minister, Irakli Garibashvili, there were rumors that he would retain the position of the chairman of the Political Council of GD; however, they were not confirmed. Georgia is a post-Soviet country. For socio-psychological and political reasons, a situation which is typical for countries with traditional and developed democracies is impossible for the post-Soviet space – when neither the President nor the Prime Minister heads the ruling party, but one of its leaders, and it doesn’t lead to conflicts.
In Georgia, constant intrigues and conflicts at the pan-national level would be inevitable in the same situation; as well as a split of the elites and other peculiarities of an unsettled democratic system. That’s why after the prime minister's resignation, a change of the leadership of the party and the Georgian Dream coalition was inevitable. And electing Kvirikashvili to the position of the new party boss is quite logical.
However, Garibashvili has left not only the position of the head of the coalition, but Georgian Dream in general, notably rejecting his party membership card. This is a walkout in protest. According to the same tradition (which is common for all post-Soviet societies), the resignation of the former leader from all top positions requires following a certain technology and politesse only if the resignation hasn’t been accompanied by a public scandal. Usually, the former prime minister and the party leader announces that, even though he is leaving the position (for ‘bad health’ or a good purpose ‘to give place to the youth’), ‘his heart still belongs to the party,’ he ‘retains the precious mandate of an ordinary member of the party,’ expressing ‘devotion to its ideals,’ and so on. Acting in a different way means demonstration of disappointment in the ‘values and ideals’ which used to be crucial not only for him, but also for the party which he headed.
The resignation of Garibashvili was unexpected for everyone – from members of the government to experts and journalists. In his opaque last speech, Garibashvili didn’t say a word about the reasons for the decision. Of course, he didn’t say anything about a desire to ‘make way for the youth.’ It would be a comic argument from the 33-year old Premier who headed the government three years ago. At the same time, Garibashvili didn’t say a word of gratitude to members of the party or (most importantly) billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili. However, he expressed great gratitude to his wife Nanuka, calling her his ‘main stand-by’ not only in life, but also in his political and state activities.
Why did Garibashvili suddenly decided not only to resign, but also leave the team? I believe the reason is much deeper than primitive considerations about “the billionaire’s will”, who ordered his former aide and Garibashvili immediately obeyed. In fact, Bidzina Ivanishvili expressed his full support for the young politician, appreciated his activity, called Garibashvili’s government “the most successful in history” till the last moment.
The political technology of a resignation demands certain preparations – meaningful hints in exclusive interviews to the mainstream media, leaks, and so on. Otherwise, the unexpectedness and absurdity of a resignation may seriously damage the ruling party and create an atmosphere of uncertainty among the elites.
It seems the young prime minister, whose life is closely connected with Ivanishvili, hadn’t coped with the load of responsibility. He hoped that when it was necessary to make important decisions, Ivanishvili would give him a certain piece of advice and support. However, Bidzina Ivanishvili put the whole responsibility on his successor and didn’t want to share responsibility. According to truthful information, the head of the government couldn’t even reach him by phone sometimes to get recommendations about important problems.
Garibashvili resigned when the government found itself between two fires on the issue about cooperation between Russia's Gazprom and Azerbaijan's SOCAR. The head of the government had to make a clear and risky choice. The 33-year old politician, who was the head of state due to his patron (according to the Constitution of Georgia, the head of state is the Prime Minister rather than the President), didn’t cope with the responsibility and left with a deep grievance in his heart, ‘shutting the door smoothly.’
