Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has signed a decree appointing Irakli Garibashvili as prime minister, according to the presidential administration.
Garibashvili became prime minister for the second time. He was nominated by the ruling party “Georgian Dream”. The seat of the prime minister became vacant after Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia announced his resignation last week over disagreements with team members over the issue of opposition leader Niki Melia, whom a court ruled to arrest over non-payment of bail. Gakharia believes that the detention of the oppositionist could have caused an escalation of an already tense political situation in the country.
“In accordance with paragraph 5 of Article 56 of the Georgian constitution to appoint Irakli Garibashvili as Prime Minister of Georgia,” the text of the order reads.
The new government of Georgia includes all but two of the former ministers – Infrastructure Minister instead of Maia Tskitishvili was Irakli Karseladze, and the Ministry of Defense, which until recently was headed by Garibashvili, will now be headed by his deputy Juansher Burchuladze.
