Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VK
Things are humming near the huge palace of Bidzina Ivanishvili. Luxurious jeeps are leaving and arriving, including those which belong to diplomats; politicians, businessmen, experts, journalists, and other representatives of Georgian establishment are here.
At the same time, a sad silence covers the presidential palace. There is no information whether the host of the palace is there. Saakashvili has always spent more time in Batumi which was turned into one of the most beautiful cities on the Black Sea and where he met with a balk in the parliamentary elections. But even when the president was off, his palace in Tbilisi has never looked so sad and abandoned.
Meanwhile, the new leader of Georgia – billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili – has already started talks with members of his team on composing the government. By the way, he organized the process in the most humiliating manner for his opponent. He said that he didn’t plan any contacts with the president, but Saakashvili must appointed him to the position of the prime minister and agree on the new squad of the government without any “buts.” However, according to the current constitution, the president is under no obligation to appoint Ivanishvili Premier, despite the fact Georgian Dream won the majority in the parliament. The amendments to the constitution on turning Georgia from the presidential into the parliamentary republic will begin the operation only on January 1st, 2014 – after the presidential elections. It means Saakashvili will remain the president for more than a year. In fact he can present to the parliament the current prime minister Vano Merabishvili as a candidate to this position. Of course the parliament won’t agree with this candidate. In this case the head of the state has a right to make the same candidate an acting premier and later dissolve the parliament. However, everybody understands that it is not a political confrontation, but the civil conflict or even the civil war.
Therefore, Saakashvili admitted his defeat in the elections and promised “to help” the former opposition to form the Cabinet of Ministers and establish no obstacles to the process of handover of power. At the same time, there is uncertainness whether he gives Bidzina Ivanishvili force ministries. In this case the president will turn into a ceremonial bystander who depends on the will of his opponent. Unfortunately, there is probably no other choice because Ivanishvili threatens to launch the process of impeachment using numerous accusations which were heard during recent 9 years, including beating PM Valery Gelashvili by order of the president.
The leader of Georgian Dream urges the president to resign for not disturbing the new authorities from ruling the country. In response Mikhail Saakashvili keeps sad silence. It is clear that he suffers the defeat strongly. The politics is a stiff thing: “the defeated are in trouble.”
