The wife of the Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Yekaterina Khvedelidze, plans to found and head a new opposition party. Her husband, who has recently stated his intention to shift to the opposition to Saakashvili, has no opportunity to engage in political activity, as he has no Georgian citizenship. Ivanishvili's supporters give examples from world politics, but the ruling party doesn't consider them to be serious.
Khvedelidze's lawyer told VK about her plans to establish an opposition party: “Yekaterina Khvedelidze intends to deal with serious policy, as her husband has no Georgian citizenship. The second clause of the 49th article of the Georgian constitution says that only a citizen of the country can be a member of parliament. Moreover, the first clause of the 8th article of the law On Political Unions of Citizens says: “Only citizens of Georgia who have voting rights can establish political parties and participate in their work.” Thus, only a person who has Georgian citizenship can engage in politics in the country.”
The lawyer noted that Khvedelidze was deprived of citizenship by presidential decree, but ahead of New Year's Eve a Tbilisi Court reinstated her citizenship. “However, we are afraid that the authorities might prolong execution of the court’s decision by appealing to higher levels,” the lawyer said.
The deadline for any appeal is January 24th. Bidzina Ivanishvili was deprived of citizenship in October, when Ivanshvili stated in one of his speeches that he holds Russian and French citizenship. While Ivanishvili got his Russian citizenship before he became a citizen of Georgia (in 2004), he gained French citizenship after it, in 2009, without making the authorities aware of it, while Georgian laws allow for dual and triple citizenship only with permission of the state. Ivanishvili’s lawyers continue to argue with the law going against the presidential decree.
At the same time, Bidzina Ivanishvili is enthusiastic to put forth his political project without violating the law through his wife and the mother of his four children. In late January or early February in Tbilisi a meeting of initiators of the political party Georgian Dream will be held. The head of it will probably be Yekaterina Khvedelidze. The fact that the businessmen spent $11 million on its political PR in a few days (from 25 to 30 December) proves his serious intentions. For Georgia the sum is fantastic. And it is only a small part of Ivanishvili’s resources.
Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to VKGeorgia
