Georgian PM Garibashvili steps down

Georgian politician Irakli Garibashvili will become the new chairman of the Georgian Dream party today following his resignation as Prime Minister.

Earlier this week Garibashvili, rumored to be involved in a corruption scandal, announced his resignation ahead of the Georgian parliamentary elections in October. The announcement came shortly after the strong oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, having served as the 10th prime minister of Georgia, made a comeback to the political arena, becoming the honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream Party. Today, Garibashvili is expected to declare himself as the chairman of the Georgian Dream Party following the party congress.

While Garibashvili did anoint a successor, expect Irakli Kobakhidze, the current chairman of Georgian Dream, to replace him as Prime Minister. Following this transition, the Georgian Dream party will likely increase its seats in the Georgian Parliament following the elections due to the popularity of Ivanishvili. In turn, this will likely hinder Tbilisi’s EU accession process during the short-to medium-term, This is because the Georgian Dream party’s authoritarian stance, alongside ambiguous relations with the Kremlin, remain stumbling blocks for further progress.