Parliament Members Make Comments on the New Cabinet and Its Structure

Giorgi Targamadze
“United Georgia” Faction

The faction does not understand President’s logic. Did he dismiss the government just to return them back again? It is enough to name just Zurab Nogaideli to understand how ineffective the government was. Nomination of the new candidatures was the chance for the government to rise trust of the citizens to them, but this chance is going to be lost.

The faction has positive attitude towards two of the new candidates for posts of Prosecutor-General (ex-Minister of Justice Roland Giligashvili) and Justice Minister (Paata Tsnobiladze). The faction does not have the final position regarding other candidates.

I think that President’s initiative to divide Tax Revenues Ministry into two departments and subordinate them to the State Minister aims to reduction of Parliament’s control over these structures. As you may know, President has direct control of any state department and such changes will increase President’s power further.

Irakli Gogava
Chairman of “Alliance – For New Georgia” Faction

Our faction will not support the candidatures, which are currently nominated for the ministers’ posts. Hopes for some changes were born when the government resigned. But when almost 80% of the new government is ‘old’ than any talks about good changes are absurd. Of course not all of them are unacceptable for us, but I believe that better candidates could be found.

I welcome process of reduction of ministries’ number. I think that structural changes should be done both in the government and in the Parliament.

Pikria Chikhradze
“New Rightists” Faction

Our faction has been demanding resignation of the government even before the crisis. When the same persons are going to return to the government after the crisis, it is natural that our faction would go against.

We will meet those candidates who have not been ministers before, that probably this would not influence our position. Faction will not participate in discussions of the candidatures at all.

I think that structural changes into the government, e.g. reduction of the number of ministries, were suggested in haste without prior appraisal. It is not right to subordinate tax revenues system to the State Minister only because ex minister of tax revenues Levan Dzneladze is nominated for this post.

Vasil Maglaperidze
“Citizens Union” Faction

The faction does not have final position yet, but the question says, “if the same persons would be nominated, then why did we need resignation of the whole government?” It is not understandable for me. I think that the faction would support only several former ministers: David Tevzadze (ex-minister of Defense), David Kirvalidze (ex-minister of Food and Agriculture), Zurab Nogaideli (ex-Finance Minister) and Irakli Menagarishvili (ex-Foreign Minister).

The faction would probably support Valeri Khaburzania (President’s Parliamentary Secretary) for the post of State Security Minister. We need to think a lot regarding candidate for Interior Minister’s post Koba Narchemashvili, because we have to find out his attitude towards Ex-minister Kakha Targamadze.

Structural changes are totally unclear as well. Why the State Minister should be named a “State Minister” if he or she is going to lead Taxation and Customs departments? It would be way more natural, if the Tax Revenues Ministry would have merged with the Finance Ministry.