Zourabichvili Accuses Georgian Dream of Deflecting Anger With Price Control Rhetoric
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, December 25, 2025
The 5th President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili sharply criticized Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's proposal to investigate high food prices, accusing the government of using price regulation rhetoric to divert public attention from deeper political and economic problems.
In a social media post, Zourabichvili questioned how the government failed to notice rising consumer prices during what it has repeatedly described as a period of strong economic growth. "Suddenly, they discovered that during this 'unprecedented economic boom' of recent years, they could not notice the unprecedented increase in prices," she wrote.
Zourabichvili argued that Kobakhidze's initiative, which includes possible anti-monopoly measures and the involvement of law enforcement bodies, is aimed less at addressing market issues and more at managing public frustration. "The regime cannot convince people, or even its own supporters, that Liluashvili was not theirs," she said, referring to the arrest of former State Security Service chief Grigol Liluashvili. "That is why it became necessary to distract the attention of angry and shocked citizens."
According to Zourabichvili, rising food prices were presented as a convenient topic during the holiday season. "What can be more interesting during the New Year period than increased prices of products?" she wrote, accusing the prime minister of appearing with "new false promises" about price controls while issuing "real threats" toward businesses.
She rejected the government's claim that retailers or distributors alone are responsible for price hikes, saying systemic failures have been ignored. Zurabishvili blamed years of economic mismanagement, corruption, and monopolization, arguing that key sectors, including supermarket chains and import-export companies, have long been linked to the ruling Georgian Dream party or its allies. "They are not responsible for anything," she wrote. "Not for corruption, not for incompetence, not for supporting foreign investors tied to them."
Zourabichvili also criticized the idea of involving the State Security Service in economic oversight. "I don't know of any country, except Russia, where price control and market regulation are directly assigned to the State Security Service," she said, warning that such steps could lead to intimidation and arrests rather than genuine economic reform.
The 5th President dismissed the initiative as political theater, questioning both the government's sudden concern over prices and the role parliament would play. "I haven't even heard of a prime minister deciding the parliamentary agenda himself," she wrote, adding that it remains unclear whether lawmakers would focus on economic policy "or just their own incomes."
