Demonstrators in Batumi don’t want any ‘cohabitation’ between the Saakashvili regime and the current government. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Former political prisoners and refugees from Abkhazia held a rally in Batumi on Sunday outside the prosecutor’s office in Adjara to demand the arrest of Supreme Court Chairman Kote Kublashvili and the dismissal of Chief Prosecutor Archil Kbilashvili. […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and the leader of the parliamentary minority, Davit Bakradze, have agreed to create a commission to work on changing the constitution. In return, members of United National Movement won’t be interrogated […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Parliament in Georgia has forced through two more laws that were vetoed by President Saakashvili. This is the latest in a series of vetoes by Saakashvili after the change of government in October, 2012. Under normal circumstances, his signature […]
President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and former US President Bill Clinton meeting recently. (Photo published on Saakashvili’s Facebook page.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The foreign ministry and the president’s administration in Georgia are embroiled in a quarrel over who is to blame for the bad coordination of foreign visits. The ministry accuses the president’s administration of not coordinating visits abroad […]
US Ambassador to Georgia, Richard Norland. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–US Ambassador Richard Norland says Georgia has a strong and competitive government, a competitive parliament, independent media and justice system, and a strong and experienced opposition. Norland said this during a meeting in parliament Thursday. […]
Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Press office Photo) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister says Europe has unrealistic expectations about the two political blocs in his country drawing a line over the past. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said Europe expects the former and current governments to start […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says his meeting with President Mikheil Saakashvili was an exercise in futility. Summing up today’s conversation with Saakashvili, he opened with asking the journalists: “You have met with the president, did you […]
President Mikheil Saakashvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili says three main challenges are facing democracy in Georgia: establishing independent courts, to end pressure against the media and to stop political persecution. He said this after a meeting with Prime Minister Bidzina […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Expectations are high before a meeting between Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and President Mikheil Saakashvili now at 15:00 Monday to solve a crisis over the constitution. Saakashvili has arrived at the government office in his electric car – this time with an escort […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The president and prime minister of Georgia will meet have their second official meeting today at 15:00 at the government office to discuss ‘important topics for the country.’ The meeting will be closed to the media. Only PR staff working for the […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s president and prime minister will meet on Monday. The main topic of conversation will be ‘important issues of the country’, according to the president. The date of their meeting became known on Friday, after Prime Minister Bidzina […]
From left to right: Georgia’s Patriarch Ilia II, the ambassador’s wife Mary Hartnett, and US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland. (US Embassy photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch–US Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland asks the Ivanishvili government to avoid vengeance as it seeks to prosecute many of the people who ran the country while President Mikheil Saakashvili held power. “There was a need now to balance the desire for […]
President Mikheil Saakashvili talking to TV journalists. (Photo by the president’s administrations.) TBILISI, DFWatch–President Mikheil Saakashvili says he wants to sit down with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili to talk about how to solve a gridlocked power-sharing process. “I think we should talk with the government about many issues, like relations with Russia, […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili says his Georgian Dream coalition will agree to a demand put forth by President Mikheil Saakashvili’s National Movement and offer former government officials amnesty. The head of government writes in an open letter […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The negotiations between Saakashvili’s party and Ivanishvlii’s coalition about constitutional changes have failed, because the president demanded an amnesty for all crimes committed by officials in his government, a demand rejected by Georgian Dream. […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has lifted the veil on what was said in an unusual conversation between him and President Mikheil Saakashvili last month. The two leaders, who are maneuvering a precarious power-sharing situation, […]
Davit Bakradze (left) and Davit Usupashvili. (President’s administration.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The two main political blocs in Georgia met Tuesday to try to agree on how to change the constitution, but without results. Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili from the governing Georgian Dream coalition said he believes it is possible to bring […]
Štefan Füle (left), the EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy, and Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi Feb. 12. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili says the current events in his country are dangerous and that he will meet regularly with the prime minister in the coming period. “Now we should stand higher than our ambitions. We and the government should […]
From left to right: Speaker of Parliament Davit Usupashvili, President Mikheil Saakashvili and former Speaker of Parliament Davit Bakradze. (President’s administration.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The president and the speaker of parliament Monday emerged after an hour-long meeting and agreed that it had been a productive one, although the only thing they agree on was that agreement is necessary on important issues. Speaker of Parliament Davit […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian president will meet with the speaker of parliament in the evening today to discuss topics which lie at the base of a protracted dispute between the two main political blocs. Member of parliament Giorgi Gabashvili from the minority […]
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. (Official photo.) TBILISI, DFWatch — The opposition National Movement party in Georgia compares Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili with Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro after statements he made at a press conference Tuesday. Ivanishvili was summing up his first hundred days of being in […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili calls on Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream coalition to make all constitutional amendments unanimous. The governing Georgian Dream coalition wants to change the constitution, but is nine votes […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili compares the opposition victory in the October, 2012 parliament election with an epidemic. “Sometimes I think there was no election on October 1, but some type of natural disease swept across some of our […]
Impatient. National Movement Secretary Vano Merabishvili can’t wait four years for the next election. “There are other methods,” he says. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili’s political party says it can’t wait four years for a change of power and instead will try to ‘weaken’ the Ivanishvili government. Secretary General of the National Movement, Vano Merabisvhili, says they do not plan […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — The Georgian President and Prime Minister, who only have met once after the parliamentary election, Sunday celebrated the jubilee of the Georgian patriarch and shared what seemed to be a serious conversation. Last time the two leaders met […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili says he will continue to appoint his party members to bodies under his control. Saturday, Saakashvili appointed Khatuna Ochiauri, member of parliament (MP) before the last election, as governor of Mtskheta Mtianeti […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Parliament’s judiciary committee has started reviewing a draft bill which will free former government officials from responsibility for crimes committed while in office. Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili first announced the idea in the end of […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvil has appointed a former government official who has twice been detained after the change of government as new governor in the Samegrelo region. Tengiz Gunava used to be Chairman of the General Inspection […]
TBILISI, DFWatch — President Mikheil Saakashvili says he is ready to cooperate with the governing Georgian Dream and its leader and has proposed a plan of cooperation. The invitation came during Saakashvili’s New Year’s speech Monday night. He focused on cooperation […]
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. […]
