Intense discussion in the inter-parliamentary committee

Currently, Georgia is dealing with a difficult period of transition between a presidential and parliamentary system which will be concluded with presidential elections this autumn. The Prime Minister Ivanishvili (Georgian Dream) aspires to restrict Saakashvili’s presidential power (United National Movement), particularly power to dissolve government without consent of the Parliament. The president Saakashvili who is leading the country since the year 2004 insists on keeping his powers and declares that he will not take an advantage of dissolving the government.

A few representatives of the oppositional United National Movement have been arrested and accused of selective justice by the Georgian Dream. It seems that the Georgian dream particularly tries to delegitimize Saakashvili’s second presidential period. Not only in Europe he is appreciated for country’s transformation from a post-soviet area to developing pro-western state. Nowadays both, the President and the Prime Minister, have difficulties in finding common language and therefore accuse each other for not being able to reach an agreement.

A strong polarization of the Georgian politics even had an influence on the results of the meeting which ended up without any joint statement despite Milan Cabrnoch’s great efforts. This situation has occurred for the first time since the inter-parliamentary committee has been established.

Milan Cabrnoch considers these critical relations between the Georgian Government and the Opposition as very dangerous: “Any inland conflicts which are being solved outside of the country do not really help the situation to improve. Moreover, international representatives should not let themselves to be drawn in a role of referees between the Government and the Opposition. I believe that the President Saakashvili deserves appreciation for the work he has done in his function and eventually, any kind of criminalization of the former Government will not either help the current one.”