Pre election metamorphosis of government

On June 30, the Georgian president appointed Minister of Interior, Vano Merabshvili, as Georgia’s new PM. Merabishvili is the most prominent figure of the ruling team, that means that the government is shaping its pre-election image and presumably there will be more changes in the government. The decision was received differently by various individuals. Supporters of the current administration hailed the decision, whereas the decision received criticism and skepticism from independent analysts and the opposition.

There is no doubt that this move was made in the context of the upcoming parliamentary elections this fall. This was visible in the first speech of the new prime minister. He said there would be three major directions as the priorities of his government: employment, the development of the rural sector and public accessibility to healthcare. These are the problems the Rose Revolution administration could not overcome. Moreover, in certain cases it had dramatic setbacks as well. Vano Merabishvili so far is connected with the most successful reform of the Rose administration. These are the transformation of the police system, success in combating corruption and a considerable decrease in crime in the country. Merabishvili has a high rating among the population and assessment of these activities are mostly positive. Analysts suggest that he may appear at the head of the ruling National Movement election list.

In his speech, Merabishvili offered several slogans. He emphasized more profit to people, saying that it is time for the development of Georgia... its modernization. Every Georgian citizen and every Georgian family should feel the results of our achievements. As the president and prime minister promised on Monday, they will present his cabinet’s action plan for several years.This means that the ruling team plans to continue its governance.

The members of the ruling team cannot help admiring this move. As one of the Majrity MPs, David Darchiashvili said that the appointment of Merabishvili as PM is a big step forward in management and politics. Analysts think that Merabishvili’s appointing as PM means increasing the effectiveness of state structures, as it has very good experience in managing the Interior Ministry.

Opposition members interpret the appointment differently. They say that this move shows that forthcoming elections will be conducted by the police. Analysts Paata Zakareishvili suggests that there appears a tendency that Georgia will become a police state. The rumors of his becoming PM have been speculated about for 3 years, and current move means that ruling authorities are determined not to lose power.

Some analysts ask who the next Minister of the Interior will be and this will become a very significant question. According to the Georgian Constitution, when the PM is changed, within a week’s time, the new PM should submit a list of a new cabinet to the parliament and this list should be discussed and approved again in one week's time.