Georgy Margvelashvili: from experts to presidents

Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Last week, the Prime Minister and the leader of the ruling coalition “Georgian Dream” Bidzina Ivanishvili named his candidate for the presidential elections. His choice is the Minister of Education and Science, the former, very popular media expert, Georgy Margvelashvili.

Margvelashvili is 44. He is a graduate of the Philosophy Department of Ivane Djavakhishvili Tbilisi State University. In 1993-1994 he studied in Prague and worked as a guide in the company “Caucasus Travel.” In 1996-2000 he read lectures on “Cultural Thought and the History of Communication” in Tbilisi Independent University. Since 2000 he was the president of Georgian Institute of Public Affairs. In 2003 Margvelashvili actively supported the Rose Revolution as a well-known expert in the media space. However, soon he began to criticize President Saakashvili for authoritarianism and broke up with him after suppression of the opposition protests and the five-day war with Russia in 2008.

After the parliamentary elections in October, Ivanishvili proposed the position of the Minister of Education to him. Margvelashvili immediately came into a conflict with the former minister on structural and economic reform, businessman Kakha Bendukidze, accusing him of violation of the law on prevention of a complete exclusion of a student for non-payment for education to a university.

Ivanishvili has many times called Margvelashvili the best minister in his Cabinet. So, we cannot say Premier’s choice was unexpected. However, such candidates as the Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze and the Defense Minister Irakly Alasania have been discussed more frequently. Moreover, according to Ivanishvili’s statements, at some point the Abkhazian historian Georgy Anchabadze living in Tbilisi was considered as a candidate for improving relations with Abkhazia. But the leader of the country chose Margvelashvili.

It seems the Premier considered several aspects.

First of all, Georgy Margvelashvili originates from the same social environment of “golden Tbilisi young people” of the 1970-1980s as the current president and the whole new elite of the country. Thus, Ivanishvili protects himself from possible accusations of betrayal of the Rose Revolution’s ideals.

Secondly, Margvelashvili is an absolutely loyal person. He is not a politician, he has no his own party (unlike the leader of “Free Democrats,” Irakly Alasania), so he won’t create any problems for Premier as a head of the state.

According to the new Constitution which begins its operation right after the presidential elections in October, Georgia will transform into a parliamentary republic; but as the president is elected by people, any ambitious politician (for example, Nino Burdzhanadze) could be a “headache” for Premier. Moreover, the post-Soviet mentality requires that “the main person” is President, rather than Premier, despite any laws and the constitution.

Saakashvili’s party the United National Movement will unlikely be a serious rival for Georgian Dream’s candidate. The UNM hasn’t made a choice yet. Supporters of President will name the candidate no sooner than in July. However, public opinion polls state that “nationals” are not popular, and the victory of Margvelashvili is thought to be predetermined.