GEORGIA: Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, presents his future cabinet following parliamentary election win
Record ID:
191189
GEORGIA: Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, presents his future cabinet following parliamentary election win
- Title: GEORGIA: Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili, presents his future cabinet following parliamentary election win
- Date: 9th October 2012
- Summary: TBILISI, GEORGIA (OCTOBER 8, 2012) (REUTERS) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LED BY BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, OFFICE MEDIA AND SATELLITE DISHES OF LOCAL BROADCASTERS OUTSIDE OFFICE GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, TALKING JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, SAYING: "Today we will present the candidates of future government." CANDIDATES FOR NEW GOVERNMENT STATE MINISTER FOR EURO-INTEGRATION ALEKSY PETRIASHVILI (IN GREY) AND SPORTS MINISTER LEVAN KIPIANI LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, SAYING: "I am seen as a candidate for the post of prime minister, we have stated this several times and we knew about it, we did not know the rest of the cabinet and they did not know either. I was honest when I was telling you that none of them knew about it. Everybody learned about it within fifteen minutes, when we gathered (for discussion) and I think everybody was happy, I mean members of the team. Everybody liked my project which I suggested them." IVANISHVILI SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, SAYING: "Cabinet of ministers, the candidate for the posts of Defense Ministry and Vice Prime Minister at the same time is Irakly Alasania, Vice Premier (minister) is my deputy." ALASANIA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, SAYING: "Interior minister, do you know or not, have the rumours spread already, tell me who knows? Who knows the interior minister' name? Garibashvili, they know, we can not hide anything from you. Irakly Garibashvili." IRAKLY GARIBASHVILI (SOUNDBITE) (Georgian) GEORGIAN DREAM COALITION LEADER, BILLIONAIRE POLITICIAN, BIDZINA IVANISHVILI, SAYING: "Besides the fact that we have peacefully changed the government, now we should do even a bigger thing which is to become a really people's and really honest government." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS STREET SCENE INDEPENDENT ANALYST OFF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA BOARD, MARK MULLEN, WALKING OUT INTO STREET PEOPLE ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDEPENDENT ANALYST OF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA BOARD, MARK MULLEN, SAYING: "Very good news. The short version is that of his (Bidzina Ivanishvili's) political team it was a very broad coalition, in the campaign period there is a lot of animosity between the different groups and I think overwhelmingly the people that have been chosen for the jobs are very good." PEOPLE ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDEPENDENT ANALYST OF TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL GEORGIA BOARD, MARK MULLEN, SAYING: "Some of them are really extremely experienced, the speaker of parliament Dato (David) Usupashvili is very, very important, because it is not just the government but the parliament, which has really been on a long slow decline, will be quite important, a lot of this people were drawn from parliament and so some of best of his team are now going to be ministers rather than MPs so it it great that it is going to be a good parliamentary leadership to rebuild that institution." STREET IN TBILISI TOP VIEW OF CITY
- Embargoed: 24th October 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Georgia
- Country: Georgia
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA5JLUI3DPFW8SLRMV5NRVB14KK
- Story Text: Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili - leader of the Georgian Dream coalition that won October 1 parliamentary elections - named his candidates to the key posts in a new Georgian government on Monday (October 8).
Ivanishvili, who is Georgia's richest man but only entered politics a year ago when he began to mount a challenge to Saakashvili's rule, didn't disclose the names of new cabinet members up until the news conference.
He also kept his promise to have no previous government members in his new cabinet.
"Today we will present the candidates of future government," said Ivanishvili in his introductory remarks at the news conference.
"I am seen as a candidate for the post of prime minister, we have stated this several times and we knew about it, we did not know the rest of the cabinet and they did not know either. I was honest when I was telling you that none of them knew about it. Everybody learned about it within fifteen minutes, when we gathered (for discussion) and I think everybody was happy, I mean members of the team. Everybody liked my project which I suggested them," Ivanishvili continued.
He proposed Irakli Alasania, leader of the Our Georgia - Free Democrats party for the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minster.
"Cabinet of ministers, the candidate for the posts of Defense Ministry and Vice Prime Minister at the same time is Irakly Alasania, Vice Premier (minister) is my deputy," Ivanishvili said.
Irakli Garibashvili, another of the coalition leaders, was given the Interior Minister post.
"Interior minister, do you know or not, have the rumours spread already, tell me who knows? Who knows the interior minister' name? Garibashvili, they know, we can not hide anything from you. Irakly Garibashvili."
Coalition press speaker Maya Panjikidze was nominated as Foreign Minister and the former Milan soccer star Kakhi Kaladze will take the post of Regional Development Minister and second Deputy Prime Minister.
Other appointments will be made within days, Ivanishvili said, adding that some structural changes to the government will take place in the future and the number of ministries may be reduced.
"Besides the fact that we have peacefully changed the government, now we should do even a bigger thing which is to become a really people's and really honest government," Ivanishvili said.
Georgia's electoral system allocates 77 of the 150 parliament seats according to party lists and the other 73 according to victories in single-mandate constituencies.
Georgian Dream won 83 out of 150 seats in parliament. President Mikheil Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM) will have 67 seats.
Political analysts welcomed Ivanishvili's new cabinet proposals.
Mark Mullen, an independent analyst of the Transparency International Georgia board said he liked the idea that the new government will be represented by a broader coalition and found the candidates selected ideal for their positions.
"Very good news. The short version is that of his (Bidzina Ivanishvili's) political team it was a very broad coalition, in the campaign period there is a lot of animosity between the different groups and I think overwhelmingly the people that have been chosen for the jobs are very good," Mullen told Reuters.
"Some of them are really extremely experienced, the speaker of parliament Dato (David) Usupashvili is very, very important, because it is not just the government but the parliament, which has really been on a long slow decline, will be quite important, a lot of this people were drawn from parliament and so some of best of his team are now going to be ministers rather than MPs so it it great that it is going to be a good parliamentary leadership to rebuild that institution," Mullen added.
A political novice who made his business fortune mainly in Russia, Ivanishvili has acknowledged his six-party coalition is fragile and that he faces a difficult balancing act between the West and Russia, which welcomed his election triumph.
But a victory by Ivanishvili could also pitch Georgia into months of uncertainty. Saakashvili, who accuses Ivanishvili of planning to bring Georgia back under the sway of Moscow, would remain as executive president, facing an assertive opponent in the prime minister's office. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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