TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says he has no intention of dismissing the new government.

In a live televised press conference late Thursday night, he said that he has no plans to use his constitutional powers to dismiss the cabinet.

“Everything that has happened in Georgia lately is alarming. I don’t want a scenario to develop in a radical way in Georgia,” he said, adding that he doesn’t want the trend of slower economic growth, chaos and violence to continue.

“I think the Georgian people will draw their own conclusions and it does not depend on my subjective decision.”

In an interview with DF Watch, Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said he is ready to let Saakashvili dismiss the government and announce a snap parliamentary election tomorrow.


“He can do this whenever he wants, and they shouldn’t scare us with it. We are not afraid of an election, because we speak to people and we know the attitudes of people,” he said. “If they think we are losing support, on the contrary, we have even more support and we will have more votes as we have very good plans.”

Ivanishvili thinks President Saakashvili will not be able to create a crisis of government, as he has a right to at any time dismiss the government and present a new list to parliament, but the old one should continue carrying out its duties until the new government is approved.