Friday, April 24, 2026

Merabishvili presents USD 12 billion action plan

Georgia's new prime minister Vano Merabishvili Monday night presented an ambitious four year program to parliament. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – The government plans to spend four billion lari to develop agriculture, six billion on pensions, three billion on health insurance, three billion on social assistance and four billion on education.

Changes have been made in the government, with

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Georgia's new power ministers: Akhalaia and Shashkin

Former Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaia is the new interior minister. His brother Data Akhalaia resigned as head of the domestic intelligence service in connection with Bacho's change of position. (Ministry of Defense photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s former defense minister has been appointed new interior minister. The former education minister will take his place, and the former rector of Police Academy will be new education minister.

Bachana (“Bacho”) Akhalaia will take the position

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Petre Tsiskarishvili explains Merabishvili's promotion

Ruling party parliamentarian Petre Tsiskarishvili says the appointment of interior minister Vano Merabishvili as prime minister was logical and necessary. (IPN.)

President Mikheil Saakashvili Saturday appointed interior minister Vano Merabishvili as prime minister. DF Watch spoke to Petre Tsiskarishvili about the surprise announcement.

Tsiskarishvili is parliamentary leader of the majority National Movement party. He says that

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Saakashvili may have violated constitution

Constitutional expert Vakhtang Khmaladze says President Saakashvili's appointment of Vano Merabishvili as new prime minister is invalid because it violated the constitution.

TBILISI, DFWatch – President Mikheil Saakashvili’s appointment of a former interior minister as prime minister may have been in violation of the constitution, and therefore invalid.

One of Georgia’s most experienced constitutional experts, Vakhtang Khmaladze, says

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Georgia gets new minister for employment

Government reshuffle. Paata Trapaidze is to be employment minister, a new post. He was appointed by the new prime minister, Ivane Merabishvili, who himself was appointed Saturday by President Saakashvili. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s new prime minister Vano Merabishvili today presented his employment minister, which is a new post.

“I have initiative to set up specific Employment Ministry, which will take care to solve problems of employment. A database of unemployed

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Georgia to host UEFA Super Cup in 2015

UEFA Super Cup will be player at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi August 14, 2015. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia will host UEFA Super Cup in August 2015. This will be the first time Georgia is host country for an UEFA event.

According to the Georgian Football Federation, the decision was made in Kiev on Saturday at a session of the executive committee.

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Field meeting in Abkhazia breaks down again

For a second time, a field meeting across borderlines in the conflict region Abkhazia has broken down before it started. (IPN.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – Again, a field meeting meant to defuse tension in the conflict region Abkhazia has broken down before it even started.

The meeting should have been held June 27, and was to have brought together operative leaders from the warring parties of 2008

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Ivanishvili gathers supporters in Georgia's old capital Mtskheta

Ivanishvili promised that fifty policemen who lost their jobs will get back to work if he wins. (Official photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch – The Georgian opposition figure head Bidzina Ivanishvili continued his tour of the country’s regions Sunday by staging a rally in the old capital Mtskheta, 20 km north of Tbilisi.

The rally started at 19:00 and saw the billionaire making new

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