Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili has signed a decree on appointment of new members of the cabinet, the press service of the Georgian government reports.
Yesterday, the country's President Giorgi Margvelashvili signed a decree on appointment of Giorgi Kvirikashvili as Prime Minister.
Dmitri Kumsishvili became the First Vice Prime Minister and the Finance Minister Dmitry; Kakha Kaladze became the Deputy Prime Minister and the Energy Minister; Mikhail Janelidze remained the Foreign Minister; Giorgi Gakharia became the Minister of Economy; Zurab Alavidze became the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure; Viktor Dolidze became the Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
Levan Izoria became the Defence Minister; Thea Tsulukiani - the Justice Minister; Georgi Mgebrishvili - the Interior Minister; Kakha Kahishvili - the Minister for Punishment Execution; Davit Sergeenko - the Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs; Sozar Subari - the minister for Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Accommodation and Refugees; Alexander Jejelava - the Minister of Education and Science.
Mikheil Giorgadze appointed the Minister of Culture and Monument Protection; Tariel Hechikashvili - the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs; Gigla Agulashvili - the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources; Ketevan Tsikhelashvili - the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality and Levan Davitashvili - the Agriculture Minister.
A member of the ‘Expert Club of Georgia’ Vakhtang Maisaya speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that there were minor changes in the government: the leaders of the three ministries have been changed, another department was abolished. "The finance minister, the economy minister and the minister for European integration were dismissed - they were replaced by, respectively, Mr. Kumsishvili, Mr. Gaharia and Mr Dolidze. Giorgi Gaharia earlier worked as a business ombudsman in the Georgian government. Viktor Dolidze entered the Cabinet as a representative of the 'Georgian dream', although he was a member of the 'Free Democrats'," he said.
According to the political scientist, almost the same composition of the government indicates that it is hardly that something will change in Georgia. "This government will develop the same political line. This is a technical government, which actually does not decide anything. There are rumors about the cancellation of the part of the pre-election promises by the 'Georgian Dream', in particular in increasing pensions and teachers' salaries," Vakhtang Maisaya said.
Now, the old new Georgian government is facing a serious challenge of the lari devaluation. "The lari exchange rate broke the so-called currency corridor, and a new currency corridor has not yet been set. The situation is catastrophic, the Georgian financial crisis is too difficult to predict, while the Georgian national currency is collapsing. And this is a very difficult challenge for the new government," the expert believes.
The head of the Center for Security Studies and International Relations of Georgia, Nika Chitadze, also does not expect significant changes in the government's work, despite "small changes" in the Economy and Finance Ministries. "The Finance Ministry is not able to affect the decline in the national currency, the lari's future depends more on external factors - foreign investments, the increase in exports, the decline in a negative balance of trade. So far, the new government has no program of affecting the free market, therefore, there will be no radical changes," he said.
According to the expert, it would be right to dismiss Dmitry Kumsishvili, which left the chair of the Economy Minister for the chair of the Finance Minister, from the government. "He is not able to respond to the economic challenges, which Georgia is facing now. Also, it would be possible to change the Minister of Foreign Affairs, because the Georgian foreign policy needs more decisive diplomacy and more charismatic leaders, who could work effectively in the international arena," Nika Chitadze pointed out.
