Mikheil Saakashvili, who according to the Central Election Commission (CEC) has been re-elected as the president, reiterated on January 12 that he planned to nominate “an all-inclusive cabinet” and offered to cooperate with the opposition.
Saakashvili’s conciliatory gesture came amid opposition preparation for protest rallies scheduled for January 13 in Tbilisi. They claim that the authorities have manipulated election results to secure victory for Saakashvili in the first round and are insisting on a run-off. The CEC is expected to approve the final vote tally on January 13, which will mean Saakashvili officially winning in the first round.
Saakashvili said that after 50 days the authorities would unveil a concrete action plan on how to implement his pre-election slogan: Georgian without Poverty.
“In 50 days we should put on the table proposals for cheap credit, new enterprises and new jobs,” Saakashvili told journalists. “To do this we need many legislative amendments and yesterday I met with the ruling majority in the parliament and told them that we need legislative amendments to make this program work. We need 50 days for the government to propose legislative and budgetary amendments with an exact timeframe for an increase in the minimum pension to USD 100 in the next few months and in the next few years.”
“The countdown on the 50-day program starts from tomorrow [January 13], so after 50 days we will have a concrete mechanism, a concrete action plan,” he added. “The recent political battles have overshadowed the economy. Now it is time to deal with the economy; my and my government’s top priority is to [implement] our pre-election slogans and promises; this is no longer a slogan, this is already an actual action plan, envisaging Georgia without poverty.”
He also said that a reshuffle of the entire “executive government at every level” to create a new “all-inclusive and professional team” was planned.
“No matter how many times you ask who will be in the new cabinet, I won’t be able to answer you at this stage. This is a matter of broad consultation,” Saakashvili said.
“Our goal is Georgia without poverty and a united Georgia. Everyone who wants to be part of it, including those who are opposition [politicians], we are open to them… I am sure that an all-inclusive cabinet can be established; everyone can have representation at various levels of decision-making; we are ready for that.”
Speaking about his January 9 meeting with Levan Gachechiladze, the main opposition candidate, who is insisting on a run-off, Saakashvili said that it was part of the authorities’ readiness to engage in dialogue with opponents.
“We are open to any type of dialogue,” he said. “We are focused on the future, not the past. Today we do not want to talk about the past, we want to talk about the future.”